Kenya: University apologised after issuing memo that blamed rape victims for 'recklessness'

A Kenyan university has apologised after it sent a memo which blamed rape victims for the assault. 

The memo was issued on Tuesday by University of Nairobi's security department which blamed the female students of "recklessness" for the three rapes in last one year in the university. 

A petition was later filed which said that how a woman could be blamed for her own rape. 

The 31-year-old, who is a rape survivor, wrote on Instagram that she was outraged that the university had no condemnation for the rapists.

Kenya's famous radio personality, Adelle Onyango, posted on Instagram: "This is what victim shaming looks like."

The vice-chancellor of the university Stephen Kiama issued an apology which said: "I have noted the memo was insensitive and does not represent the corporate values and the image of University of Nairobi, and is highly regretted".

The memo released earlier also described one of the three rapes when a drunk female student decided to walk all alone from the city centre to the hostels, in order to substantiate its point of women's fault.  

It also suggested certain tips to women for ensuring their safety in social gatherings, which include going out with trusted friends, memorising important contact numbers in case they lost their phones and not leaving their drinks unattended.

Onyango, who is raising funds to launch Safe 24/7 to provide free therapy and support to rape survivors said that these advices to females are the part of the problem. 

"Right now, where we go, what time we will go there, who we will go with, how we will get there, what we will wear etc is governed by how safe we will be and that is NOT normal neither is it OK!

"If men just stopped raping us, rape will stop."

Nearly 1,500 people have signed a petition Change.org petition that said misogyny that "has been time and again endorsed by the powers in play in Kenya" has to stop.