Kenyan Facebook page "names and shames" absentee parents

Single parents in Kenya are using a Facebook page to share their outrage against partners who they claim abandoned their children.

The page, dubbed Dead Beat Kenya includes pictures, phone numbers, employers and other private details of the alleged absentee parents.

No one is safe, either: Local politicians, women, even celebrities are getting named and shamed.

Jackson Njeru, the founder of Dead Beat Kenya, said he started it after seeing women struggle to raise children alone. He works at his family’s farming business but runs the page on the side with help from a couple of volunteer administrators.

“This thing is happening in all families — we have people getting kids and running away,” he said. “Our kids are being violated.”

Njeru said he does his best to verify claims, including asking for things such as a birth certificate or any communication between parties. He also calls the accused party and gives them a chance to defend themselves.

The accusations are mounting, and so are the threats of legal action against him.

But Njeru said he’s not worried, and he stands by his posts.

“For me it’s all about the children. If I’m going to be jailed about the children, let it be,” he said.

So far, the group has resolved about 25 cases offline, he said, after alleged absentee fathers stepped up to the plate during an initial verification call.

If a resolution is reached after the alleged absentee parent’s information is posted, administrators take down the post.

Credit: CNN