Kenyan eCommerce website Uzanunua on Sunday sent a newsletter advising subscribers to sell all they could in case of a repeat of the 2007 post-election violence, in a marketing gimmick that “went wrong”.
The newsletter, which was accompanied by pictures of violence across the country, stated: “Upcoming election? SELL on www.uzanunua.com SELL now before it’s too late! Cash up. Sell what you can here! You know what happened last time. Regards, team Uzanunua.”
The awry marketing was aimed at encouraging sellers to sell their stuff on the website as belongings might be destroyed during any violence in the wake of the country’s March 4 general election.
The company however mailed an apology to its subscribers on Monday morning (February 11), though it did not give any concrete explanation of the error.
“Uzanunua regrets and apologises for its election newsletter. We had a bad day and are not sure what we were thinking,” the company said.
Kenya’s government has put websites on notice in regards to sending hate messages on the Internet.
According to some social analysts, although this might not constitute hate speech, it does not assist hopes for national cohesion in Kenya after the election.
