Arnold, a construction worker in Kenya dressed in a cheap downtown suit held a placard asking out Esther Passaris, the Nairobi County MP for dinner – not a meeting but a late night eat out with soft lights, warm ambience and a slow cooked steak. The MP in question is 61, and Arnold is half that age.
Luckily for Arnold, the member responded and agreed, but to a luncheon not dinner. And she offered to take him out instead, to a place that her followers were asked to recommend. He did not get dinner, but lunch, and to discuss how to improve Nairobi. This, is a masterclass in PR – control the narrative.
In 2018, one Isiko Brian while a student at YMCA poured out his heart in a swoony love letter to Sylvia Rwabwogo, the Fort Portal woman MP at the time. He would later be sued for his attempts perceived at harassment which the court later threw out because the MP did not show up in court. Brian picked his lines mostly from poems and songs – he once dedicated to her the song ‘Sorry, blame it on me’. Sharp boy! Sylvia lost the election the following year, and Brian could have played a part.
Enter bro Judah, crushing on Kitgum’s Lillian Aber. FB post sparks giggles.
That leads us to my brother, Judah and his inkling to meet Lillian Aber and the ending which neither wanted. This started last year when in a Facebook post, Judah alluded to having a crush on the Kitgum District WMP and this sparked idle discussion on Facebook.They hug awkwardly at an NRM bash and the internet explodes in cringes.
However, this did not last very long when an AI creation of Judah and the MP side by side rubbed her the wrong, and she instantly brought an end to the fascination and other developments therein. Judah also asked his supporters in a separate post to respect the member – a chapter was closed.
The field of PR provides very beautiful insights into this. In 2023, a hiker (can’t recall the name) went viral on Tiktok when her waterproof Northface Jacket failed. Northface hired a helicopter to deliver her a brand new jacket, newer product and the rest turned into a genius crisis management.
Imagine Lillian met Judah for choreographed chit-chat on tunes and leadership, ending in stiff handshake. Both win?
Image: Esther Passaris (MP)