East Africa Breweries Limited (EABL) has suspended advertising on Radio Africa Group following victim shaming remarks made by Homeboyz Radio presenters on air. Shaffie Weru, Neville and DJ Joe Mfalme made the remarks during their Lift Off breakfast show on March 24.
In a statement, EABL expressed their dismay at the conduct of the presenters who have since been suspended.
“As a responsible corporate citizen that upholds and champions gender inclusion, diversity and human rights, we support the ongoing investigations. EABL and the Guiness Brand are significant advertisers on a variety of programmes on Radio Africa Group.” The statement reads.
“Consequently, beginning Thursday 26th March 2021, EABL paused all advertising on the RAG programmes related with these presenters” EABL said in the statement.
In a viral video, the presenters discuss an ordeal in which a 20-year-old woman was thrown off the 12th floor of Ambank House by a man she met on Facebook.
The woman, Eunice Wangari Wakimbi, had met the perpetrator, Moses Gatama Njoroge, for a date in Nairobi on September 13, 2020.
On Monday, Wangari told a magistrate’s court that she went for lunch with her attacker and then proceeded to his office on the 12th Floor where they had an alcoholic drink.
Read: Shaffie, DJ Joe Mfalme Apologize For Utterances Made Against Sexual Abuse Victim
Things quickly went south when she demanded to leave at around 7.30 pm before the beginning of the dawn to dusk curfew.According to Wangari, the boyfriend wanted her to spend the night, something she was uncomfortable with. It is then that a fight ensued.
Njoroge then pushed her through the window. She landed on the 9th floor balcony, she testified.Eunice suffered serious pelvic injuries and was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) where she was admitted for two months.
Njoroge was charged with one count of causing grievous bodily harm.
Read also: Homeboyz Radio Suspends Shaffie, DJ Joe Mfalme For Two Weeks
During the show, Shaffie told the Lift Off audience that women should play hard to get and occasionally be unavailable.
He urged women to stop going out to drink with men whenever called upon. Neville could be heard laughing in the background.
Critics noted that Shaffie went in on the woman instead of addressing the crime and the perpetrator.
His former co-host at Kiss FM, Adele Onyango said, “I am sending all my love to survivors – every day we have to interact with people pushing the narrative that our NO isn’t worthy, shouldn’t be respected and should be met with violence & abuse.
“That is not true. You are not to blame.”
Read also: New Chapter As Shaffie Heads Over To Homeboyz Radio
Netizens had called for a boycott of the Radio station, urging advertisers to reconsider supporting Radio stations promoting violence and rape culture against women.
“EABL strives to promote inclusion and diversity and we discourage gender insensitive statements including negative portrayal of women in all our marketing campaigns. The context in which content on the Wednesday programme was relayed goes against the core tenets of this agenda.” EABL said further in its statement.
“As a precondition to revert to our advertising partnership, we have asked RAG to conduct due diligence in the selection of presenters and embed a robust consequence management plan on those that do not abide by the code of conduct.”
The public outcry resulted in the suspension of the radio hosts after Homeboyz Radio and the three presenters issued public apologies on their social media accounts.
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