Comedian Njugush (born Timothy Kimani Ndegwa) opened up about his experience with cyberbullying, revealing how he copes with online trolls.
The online comedy content creator, despite being one of the more revered public figures in Kenya, has fallen victim to harassment on social media.
Njugush recounted a time he could not sleep after netizens bashed him for a skit he did with his wife Wakavinye (Celestine Ndinda) in 2018.
In the clip, Njugush appeared to force Wakavinye to go home with him after taking her out to watch a play. He complained that he had spent so much money on dates with Wakavinye while demanding that she goes home with him.
The funnyman was accused of promoting rape, forcing him to take down he video and issue a public apology.
Njugush said he tried to explain the meaning behind the clip, “but none seemed to understand”.
“The following day, I was trending,” he recalled, adding: “I kept on logging in to check what they were saying. I mean, cyberbullying is bad.”
The actor mentioned that he went to church but got nothing out of the service.
Acknowleding that cyberharassment might not end anytime soon, Njugush encouraged people to grow a thick skin. He noted that social media has given online trolls a false sense of power over other people.
“For example, just because people have access to your post, they can say anything they want to say but not while facing you. I think as long as you are online, you accept everything that comes with it, including bullying and other things,” he told the Star.
“You must be ready for what comes with it. I am always ready for the worst and in that way, I don’t care what people give me or say about me online.”
Njugush at the same time noted that social media has benefits that eclipse all the negativity.
“My family and people who depend on me eat because there is social media. So social media is everything and if it can give me that, then the small headache of cyberbullying does not cross my mind,” he said.
Njugush liked social media to a city: “Social media is like being in the city where we have so many opportunities, and there are also robber cases and other bad things.” He said.
