http://techmoran.com/kenyas-ushahidi-reportedly-covering-executives-accused-sexual-harassment/
Ushahidi is mum about internal cases of alleged sexual harassment by its senior executive instead of laying him off with immediate effect.
If this isnāt the most stupid thing I have seen in a while. For those propagating this nonsense, I hope the next time you are accused of something, youāll be happy if a mob simply pours petrol on you and light you up?
Besides, where do these people think they are, San Francisco? Every little thing now is sexual harassment. A man cannot even pay a woman a compliment any longer, without worrying about sexual harassment allegations. Rubbish.
3 Likes
The witnesses need to come out in numbers with solid evidence and testimonies before we can draw conclusions
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14734378
The evidence is mountingā¦ Itās clear the board is protecting this individual
Two questions:
- Why are 11 out of 13 comments on HN posted by new users i.e. green handles?
- Perhaps more importantly, how is this relevant to Radar?
2 Likes
I have read this particular comment over and over again.
I went to bed, woke up, read it again and still got the same reaction. I am angry and definitely very very confused. You know the first thing I did once I read this? I went back to the homepage and read what Radar was all about. Maybe I have been seeing it in the wrong light all this time.
Unless something changed, it clearly states and I quote
If so ,did something change overnight? Why would this particular thread not be relevant to Radar? Is it because it is Kenyan? Isnāt Kenya in Africa? Or is Radar exclusively Nigerian:confused:? If so, then I missed the memo.
I will not even go on about the subject matter of the topic. I learnt long ago not to waste my time in battles that I know I cannot win because of who I am, which I cannot change. What I tried to keep quiet about but I clearly was unable to is the spite that seems to come from this simple comment. Maybe I interpreted it wrongly
I have huge respect and love for Nigeria, esp the tech ecosystem. Coming to Yaba this year simply cemented what I already knew. Great things are happening there and I am in awe of it
Ushahidi represented something for the tech ecosystem in Kenya. Although Iāve never really bought into all that came out after it, it still had a key role in the startup scene here. Many see it as the Genesis. This is where Kenya started taking part in the African and the overall worldwide tech ecosystem. Why then, would this narrative not be relevant to Africa? Be it negative, it is still an idea worth exploring, a discussion to be had
If you said it wasnāt relevant to you, then I would have no issue with this. Iād probably be in the same boat as all those others who have seen this thread and not cared enough to contribute or find it worthless or are scaredā¦
But relevance, that is hitting below the belt.
11 Likes
@mugure This is very relevant to Radar. It is the most relevant thing in the history of relevance. Anon people who try to diminish it cannot be taken seriously.
Iāve been watching the matter unfold in public and in private with keen interest. And Iām glad that the Kenyan technology ecosystem is beginning to have this difficult conversation, albeit in a somewhat passive aggressive way. I hope that the things that Ory Okolloh said are happening in her medium article about the issue actually do. But beyond the community organising, I also think a few heads need to roll for the way the Ushahidi matter was handled, to set an important precedent. Every second that sexual harassment is condoned perpetuates the cycle.
2 Likes
Yes, the approach is super passive aggressive, almost feels hush hush, but there are pockets of open discussions going on.
But this is super frustrating. Why is it this way? I will be totally disappointed although not very surprised if this is forgotten by next week.
This thing needs to be handled with zero tolerance, no matter how uncomfortable and unpopular the topic is.
I am also looking forward to see how this is handles, so far Ushahidi is doing a very substandard job
1 Like
The Ushahidi board knew about this, from day one. The Ushahidi board protected the predator and have released a statement saying that the employee āwho has since chosen to leave the companyā as though the employee didnāt leave due to the boards inaction. The CEO wasnāt suspended, but was still representing the company, accepting awards on behalf of the company. The only reason this matter is in the public domain is because the employee left and thereās been sustained pressure from the tech community.
My complaint was that the board chose not to act. http://www.techweez.com/2017/07/11/ushahidi-needs-to-act/ from this - we can see that Erik Hersman addressed this issue on the 21st of May, meaning that the knew about it earlier. There has been 60 days of nothing but inaction. Why would an employee remain in such an environment? What is it about this CEO that makes him untouchable to the board? Why is the Ushahidi board willing to let the company burn, willing to let the organizations reputation go down the drain for this individual? This is not logical, honestly.
Yes you did.
It was a simple question. You interpreted it poorly but I understand how that can occur.
Allow me to clarify what I meant by ārelevanceā by paraphrasing the quote you referenced. Emphasis mine.
What is Radar?
Radar is a forum where the African tech community discuss tech issues, share tech ideas and build meaningful relationships.
The subject matter is an egregiously bad social issue that seems to pervade all aspects of African society. It may make sense to frame it as a tech issue if you sincerely believe there is an overarching narrative that sexual harassment is pertinent to the African tech community. My question was meant to extract if that narrative exists, and certainly not a diminution of its seriousness.
Perhaps the more important question is whether Radar should be used as a court of public opinion to judge the accused, or perhaps we should wait for the Kenyan legal processes to play out.
In Nigeria, you can get lynched if you are gay, walk around with dreadlocks in the wrong part of town, or simply get caught in the crowded crossfire of an āoleā (thief) chant. These are also egregious social problems but do they become tech issues when they involve a tech employee?
1 Like
???
Of course, they do. I have not seen you make this ill-considered comment when Radar members are discussing government policy (which also affects āall aspects of African societyā 
). The issue affects technology startup employees, thus it affects technology startups, and it should matter to everybody, especially those interested in technology startupsā outcomes.
There is no āsocietyā that exists outside of the people that make it up, so African technology startups (and their employees) are by definition, part of different societies in Africa. What, exactly, are you gaining by trying to separate them? More importantly, why is this at the top of your priority list, regarding this matter?
I promise you that it is possible to have a nuanced conversation about it while the āKenyan legal processesā play out, and include whatever the end result is, as part of the convo.
I completely understand if you donāt want to join the discussion (I decided not to, asides from Twitter, because I donāt have local context and I donāt know that I have anything particularly valuable to add), but you should not be stopping other people in the community from talking about it.
If you donāt have anything useful to contribute, then go find a JS framework to circlejerk about, and stop taking up space here abeg. Maybe thatās ātechā enough for you. Kmt.
3 Likes
Great analysis, @SkweiRd. Although Iām completely behind you and @mugure on this one, I think the above quoted went a bit too far, straying into the realm of getting personal with @techscorpion.
And seeing the reference to his post on the TechCabal newsletter as an āidiotic commentā, I think somehow belittles the good work TechCabal has been doing so far in the Nigerian tech space to be all inclusive. We all stray in our analysis from time to time, and putting things into perspective @techscorpion is usually the most level headed contributor in many a contentious debate around these parts.
My 2 cents.
5 Likes
You are exactly right, @Nosa_O. I lost my temper because it felt like he was trying to undermine [what I felt was] an important conversation. That oneās on me.
About the newsletter, I had no control over that. I only saw it a few hours ago, but I assume the person who wrote it, Francis, saw my comment on Twitter and went with it. That was ill-considered as well. My fault.
I owe you an apology for both, @techscorpion. Iām sorry I was more abrasive than I needed to be earlier today. Especially about the JS framework statement.
No offence taken.
Iām quite happy to take a deliberately contrarian viewpoint here because I think every healthy society needs it.
Itās very important to be able to accommodate both nuanced and passionate discussions about these sensitive issues. If we shut each other up, Godwinās Law sets in and only hear ourselves. We are all learning I guess.
I guess the grand question here is whether Radar is strictly for tech issues, or does it welcome all social issues and tabloid headlines like Nairaland, regardless of how tenuous the association is to technology. A slope as slippery as a jelly-coated salamander.
1 Like
https://medium.com/@AngieWan/dont-raise-your-voice-here-5910b821a2f0 - the victim has spoken up
We now have accusations of mischief