Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo has urged Kenyans to stop spreading unverified stories about singer Mary Clare’s acid attack and called for better protection for the injured musician.
Mary Clare, a 24-year-old Seventh-Day Adventist singer, was attacked in Kibera while returning home. She is critically ill at Kenyatta National Hospital.
Police say a man allegedly hired by her estranged boyfriend, Elvis Opiyo, carried out the assault. Two suspects have been arrested and the case is under investigation.
After the attack, rumours circulated online claiming Opiyo had paid Mary Clare’s secondary and university fees. Some people on social media used those claims to suggest the attack was somehow justified because of Opiyo’s alleged sacrifices. MP Millie Odhiambo strongly rejected this line of thinking.
On Wednesday, March 25, Odhiambo warned that Kenyans are too quick to accept and share one-sided stories.
She said it is common for a negative narrative to be pushed on social media soon after a violent incident, and those stories often aim to justify the violence or shape public opinion before facts are known.
Odhiambo quoted the idea that a single story can be dangerous, because when a victim is hurt or dead they cannot challenge false claims.
The MP also shared what Mary Clare’s family told her: that Opiyo did not actually pay the singer’s school fees.
Since Mary Clare is not able to speak for herself while she is critically ill, Odhiambo said people should not treat the fee story as fact.
“Violence is wrong, period,” she added, saying that spreading false information should not be used to excuse the brutal attack that left Clare disfigured.