Sankok under fire over ‘Lover’s Nest’ advert

The National Gender and Equality Commission (NGEC) has condemned remarks by David Ole Sankok, member of the East African Legislative Assembly, who recently promoted his Osim Country Lodge as a place that can restrain women with their lovers, regardless of discontent.

In a video, the legislator praised a tree house lodge that he called a lover’s nest, saying lovers who visit the lodge will, upon getting into the room using a ladder, not be able to climb down, as the ladder will be removed. He went ahead to explain that the measure seeks to contain women who may change their minds about engaging in sexual activity with lovers.

He said: “The lovers nest is a house packed on a gigantic acacia tree, where the lovers will spend their night in a natural manner. The lovers nest does not touch the ground.  It is only the ladder that the lovers will use to get in that touches the ground. Once the lovers are comfortably inside the lovers nest, the ladder is removed because wasichana wengi wamekula fare (Many women never keep their promise to provide sex in exchange for financial favours they receive from men) and they change their minds.”

He added: “In the lover’s nest, there will be no changing your mind. And again, for the sake of the boy child, who most often will be the one paying for the lover’s nest, we remove the ladder so that they stay there from evening till morning at around 9am…so that the guy can get the value for his money.”

Disturbing

The video, which has caused uproar in different quarters, has been termed by the NGEC chairperson Dr Joyce Mutinda, as “deeply disturbing”.

“Such statements not only perpetuate harmful attitudes but also contribute to a culture of violence and objectification. We unequivocally condemn this repugnant marketing pitch and demand full accountability for Sankok’s actions,” she explained.

“The National Gender and Equality Commission highlights that Sankok’s statements violate the Sexual Offenses Act and the Constitution if Kenya 2010. The Act criminalises all forms of sexual assault, including rape and any attempt at non-consensual sexual activities. Furthermore, Article 27 of the Constitution guarantees equality and freedom from discrimination for all individuals, irrespective of their gender. Sankok’s remarks flagrantly undermine these constitutional principles and perpetuate a culture that violates women’s rights,” she said.

Dr Mutinda called for an investigation into the lodge’s activities to ensure its operations obey the law and respect the “rights and dignity if all individuals.”

“This incident underscores the imperative for stringent regulations governing similar establishments, preventing the propagation of harmful practices and cultures that perpetuate inequality and violence against women,” she explained.

The secretary of Narok County Assembly Women Caucus, Sintei Nchoe, has also condemned Sankok’s utterances, and urged women to avoid visiting the lodge, “because their safety and security is clearly threatened.”

Condemnation

“The remarks, coming from any citizen of this country are demeaning and encourage sexual exploitation, rape and defilement of women and girls. They must be condemned and frowned upon. The degree of condemnation must be particularly high when such remarks are uttered by a former nominated MP and current EALA MP. Ole Sankok has scandalised the office he holds on behalf of the Kenyan people and put to question his suitability as a legislator entrusted with sensitive issues of the East African federation,” said Ms Sintei.

“We advise all women and girls to stay safe and avoid Osim Country Lodge. We also demand that Ole Sankok pulls down the offending video from all social media and other platforms, and that he issues an unconditional apology with the same prominence and circulation as the offending video,” she added.

Coalition against Sexual Violence, a coalition of organisations working against sexual violence in Kenya   have termed Sankok’s statements as “outrageous and demonstrate a complete lack of understanding and respect for women’s autonomy and consent.” The remarks, says the coalition, normalises rape culture and a fallacy that “women are obligated to provide sex in exchange for financial favours.”

“Sankok's language is misogynistic, objectifies women's bodies, glamorizes sexual violence and perpetuates rape culture, creating a society that disregards our right to be free from all forms of sexual violence. We cannot ignore the horrifying cases of Ivy Wangechi, Eunice Wakimbi, and Velvine Kinyanjui, who suffered unimaginable violence at the hands of men who believed they were entitled to women's bodies because they had spent money on them. These cases are just a few examples of the countless survivors who have endured such violations,” said the coalition.

Sexual violence

“This rhetoric represents the most basic form of normalizing rape culture and thrives on persistent gender inequalities and harmful attitudes about gender and sexuality. Regardless of the context, rape culture is rooted in patriarchal beliefs, power imbalances, and the desire for control. According to the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS), over 40 per cent of women in Kenya have experienced physical or sexual intimate partner violence in their lifetime. These shocking statistics demand urgent action and a change in societal attitudes towards women and their rights.”

While calling for Kenyans to stand against sexual violence and normalisation of rape culture, the coalition has also demanded that Sankok issues a public apology and commit to conducting training on gender equality and prevention of sexual violence. The Coalition has also urged the Tourism Regulatory Authority to ensure that hotels, lodges and other accommodation establishments do not aid rape culture.

The Coalition on Violence against Women (Covaw) also rallied behind women, with Wairimu Munyinyi, the Executive Director saying Sankok’s utterances serve to advance negative masculinity. The remarks, she said, also reinforces in men the belief that “it is a sign of strength for a man to have his way with a woman through coercion.”

Boy child

“Advancing negative masculinity should not be associated with any leader in a country where the rape prevalence borders on a crisis. Instead, leaders should responsibly use their privilege of service to speak out against all forms of violence and also serve as role models of good behaviour. This is what would in fact score a real win for the boy-child,” said Wairimu.

“The utterances by Ole Sankok speak to a total lack of accountability at personal level (and) glaring accountability gap for public leaders including within their political parties and in the institutions in which they serve…We hope that beyond securing an unqualified apology from Ole Sankok, there will be measures taken against him,” she added.

The Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya (Fida-Kenya) have also called upon Sankok to apologise for his remarks and to commit to respect women’s rights and eradication of all forms of violence against them.

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