ARE WE THAT LOOSE?

By Mohammed Doyo

It is the talk on social media, from Facebook to WhatsApp not to mention blogs. Negative perceptions of Moi University students have been the order of the day. More often than not, we have been wrongfully labelled as whores, abortion lovers, HIV/AIDS victims among other demeaning terms.

On Twitter it’s even worse. Kenyans on Twitter (KOT) have continued to unleash endless mean jokes on how female students in Moi are ’generous’. Sometime back, someone posted a tweet that went on to receive endless retweets. It read ‘When a coin is thrown at a chic in Moi uni, the probability of getting head is 97%’. Read between the lines and you’ll get the ‘joke’.


Why the hullabaloo? Ten years ago, a female law student at Annex confessed to infecting over 120 students with the deadly HIV virus. Why would someone with a working brain want to generalize that almost every student is a victim of the deadly virus a whole decade later, yet every year a group leaves and another comes in? Sad.

It is unfortunate that these baseless social media rumours have found their way to real life. And consequently formation of perceptions that continue to impact negatively on the image of the students both in the outside and the corporate world. We all have heard of cases where people had to undergo HIV/AIDS test before getting employed, right?

As a student who has spent three academic years in this university, I can confidently say the actual situation on the ground is exceptionally different from the one painted in social media and other interactive avenues. In fact compared to other universities out there, we are more careful with our lives, not to forget, being less ‘generous and thirsty’ too!

For instance, how often do you see flashy cars picking up the girls in Main Campus where a large number of students are based? Visit other universities located in towns and you will see this. We all know the infamous Koinange Street, right? Again, we have read endless newspaper stories on university sex dens. How many times has Moi University featured?

However, this is not to say Moi doesn't have students who would give in to sex very easily - they are there! People infected with HIV/AIDS are there too. But let this not be confused with the idea that every other student is ‘loose’ or a victim as a section of the social media users will always want to imagine.


Meanwhile, let our heads remain high. Let’s defend our morality and reputation too. Let not these social media jibes demoralize or slow us down. Again, remind the haters that in Moi, brains open faster than legs and zips!