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Victim shaming, disregard for her well-being, attacks on her character, failure to fully include her in the inquiry, and an inexcusable delay handling the sexual harassment case that she presented to the Ushahidi board. This was Angela Kabari’s bone of contention with Ushahidi. Instead, they apologised for getting caught.

In an unsigned statement posted on their website, Ushahidi apologised to Kabari for the sexual harassment that she underwent while she was an employee at the company. As I mentioned in a previous post, a lot of talking has been coming from the Ushahidi camp (Ushahidi issued four statements in a span of two weeks), but very little listening has been going on. This latest statement of apology is proof that they are not entirely genuine in their remorse, as they make no attempt at addressing what Kabari faulted them for, in their handling of the matter.

The irony in the Ushahidi sexual harassment scandal couldn’t be more stark. Their ethos revolves around justice, safety and human rights, yet, they participated in the very principles that rape culture thrives on. Where the victim is the one who stands trial and has to prove that the crime was indeed committed while the perpetrator walks free,  exonerated of their misdeed. It’s this fear of being shamed for a violation on your humanity that keeps victims of sexual abuse silent when it happens. Kabari was accused of blowing the matter out of proportion by going public, grilled for over 2.5 hours in a bid to villianize her and sanitize Daudi Were. When that failed, she was accused of having a “potty mouth” for using the word ‘fuck’.

It’s not Ushahidi’s job to apologize for what Daudi Were did. That’s on him. What they need to do is listen to Angela Kabari and give her the apology that she deserves, not the one they deem fit. The board handled the matter in the worst way possible and they should take responsibility. Otherwise, they’re not fooling anyone.

Read the statement that Ushahidi issued announcing the dismissal of Daudi Were, the man responsible for sexually harassing Angel Kabari, here.

Here are some of the comments on the issue on Social Media.