Government Spokesman Isaac Mwaura has urged Kenyans to stop creating content mocking the appearance of Raila Odinga Junior, the son of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
Since the passing of his father last week, some Kenyans, particularly on TikTok, have been ridiculing Raila Junior’s facial condition through videos and memes shared on social media.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, Mwaura condemned the behaviour, terming it horrendous and inhumane, after reports emerged that some content creators had even turned the mockery into a social media challenge.
“It’s very wrong to mock someone based on their appearance due to an inherent condition. It’s even more horrendous to create a ‘challenge’ to body shame,” Mwaura stated.
“Such behaviour speaks volumes about one’s poor character and upbringing in the name of content creation. Let’s be human for once,” he added.
In a series of videos seen by citynews.co.ke, several TikTok users filmed lip-sync performances imitating Raila Junior’s speeches during his father’s funeral, distorting their mouths in an attempt to resemble him.
Raila Odinga Junior suffers from acoustic neuroma, also known as vestibular schwannoma, a non-cancerous and typically slow-growing tumour that develops on the main (vestibular) nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain.
The condition, which he previously disclosed to be hereditary from his mother’s side, has caused paralysis on the left side of his face.
In 2022, Raila Junior dismissed claims that he had Bell’s Palsy—a condition that causes sudden weakness or paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face and is often temporary.
“I have what is called an acoustic schwannoma. This is a non-cancerous growth at the back of my brain,” Junior clarified in a 2022 interview.
“Every human being has five ventricles, and mine presses against the third ventricle, which controls the nerves on the right side of my face. That’s what caused the paralysis.”
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