A war pitting two media personalities, Ciku Muiruri and Ciru Muriuki, has now escalated following an online attack by Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) that saw one mistaken for the other.
Ciku is famously known for her long time show Busted on Classic FM, while Ciru made a debut on radio but was advised on using her English name to avoid confusion. She adhered, but decided to used the name when she got another job at NTV.
Last week, Ciku tweeted about murdered tycoon Tob Cohen, how they were friends and how he bought her book Love is But a Dream.
“I knew Tob Cohen. I was fortunate enough to visit their home late last year. He and Sarah, have a lovely home, well put together. They both bought a copy of Love Is But A Dream. I spent a large part of that evening bonding with their dogs. Dogs, very friendly and loveable (at least to me), that if need be, can turn vicious. Dogs protect their master… Where were they?” tweeted Ciku.
I knew Tob Cohen. He and Sarah Wairimu both bought a copy of #LoveisButADream 🙏
I spent a large part one evening bonding with their dogs. Dogs, very friendly & loveable (at least to me), that if need be, can turn VICIOUS. Dogs protect their master… Where were they??
RIP Tob
— Ciku Muiruri ✝️ (@MissCiku) September 13, 2019
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However, according to tweeps, she leveraged on the death of the tycoon to market her book. They descended on her, but mistook her for Ciru, hence the BBC journalist was on the receiving end.
“I am not Ciku. I haven’t written a book. I never hosted a show named Busted. And I haven’t tweeted anything about dogs. Aki please I was just doing my juice cleanse in peace,” tweeted Ciru amidst escalating attacks from KOT.
According to Ciku, she deserved the roast, since she had been warned by her previous boss, Pete Sinclair, against using the name since Ciku was already big on radio.
“I did my first radio show in 1998. In my many, many, many, years on radio doing Busted etc, I have used my name. On my newspaper columns, I have used my name. On my book Love Is But A Dream and all my social media pages, I have used my name. Someone comes onto the scene many, many, many years later, has and uses a name similar to mine and now cries victim every time she is mistaken for me.
Read: Kenyans On Twitter Trol Ciku Muiruri Saying She Was Drunk On TV
“A boss of ours – Pete Sinclair – actually refused her to use the name during her stint at Radio Africa and said she would be mistaken for me. She had no choice but to listen to him and use her English name. All was well. But alas, she then went on to join NTV where she disregarded his advice and went on to use the name. Enter the case of mistaken identity that follows until this very day. And now, I am supposedly the bad guy because I need to watch what I tweet for her sake. Wait, what?” Narrated Ciku.
Ciku said that that she (Ciru) rode on her name and fame, and now she had to deal with it.
“A friend of hers actually went on a morning TV show and said my ‘bad manners’ (??) are affecting her. What the actual hell? That’s the final straw for me. I refuse to be used as a punching bag when you found me here, minding my own business.
“If you want your brand to stand out, the first logical step is NOT to ride on someone else’s name and then cry foul when it no longer suits you. Reap the whirlwind,” wrote Ciku.
On her side, Ciru argued that she never rode on anyone’s fame, since she was given the name since birth.
“As in, it’s MY name but I copied you? Looks like I have to ask my mother to rename me so that I don’t “ride on someone’s name”,” she tweeted.
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