Kenya’s top political TV show hosted by former CNN journalist Jeff Koinange has been dropped after a male guest made a rape remark about a female guest.
Mr Koinange apologised Thursday night for the 17 November incident, saying it was the show’s last episode on KTN.
He was hosting Miguna Miguna and Esther Passaris, aspirants for the Nairobi governor seat, when the off-air personal attack was made.
Mr Miguna said “Esther is so beautiful everybody wants to rape her”.
“You are chasing men all over, nobody wants you,” he continued. “You think you’re beautiful, you are not. Esther is just colour. Without colour you are nothing.”
Ms Passaris, a politician and businesswoman, then accused him of being a racist.
The footage of the incident was shared online with many people criticising Koinange for failing to intervene.
Kenya’s Gender Affairs minister Sicily Kariuki accused KTN of allowing guests on its show to engage in personal attacks and for the “trivialisation” of rape.
Mr Koinange said that he was prepared to “man up” over the incident and said he was apologising to those who had been “aggrieved”.
“It was regrettable in most parts but again it was one show out of 300 we’ve done here at KTN for the last three years.” he added.
A former aide of Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga, Mr Miguna has filed a complaint with the Media Council of Kenya saying that he was filmed “secretly” and portrayed as unfit for the position of governor in next year’s elections, reports say.
Ms Passaris tweeted after the show saying “men like Miguna have no place or role to play in our empowerment. He is part of the problem.”
Koinange is an award-winning journalist who has worked for top broadcasters in the US including CNN where he was the Africa correspondent until 2007.
He started working for K24, a local TV station in 2009, before moving his popular show to KTN.
He said the show would be making a return on another station in the coming weeks:
“JKL is not going anywhere it is just changing homes”, he said.
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