Kenyans on Twitter came together to raise thousands for a cleaning lady who found herself on the receiving end of an online bullying incident.
The woman, Lucy Gatimu, who regularly markets her door-to-door cleaning service on the social media platform, had replied to a tweet in which a user by the name 'OsamaOtero' had advised Kenyans to purchase uniforms for struggling children they met.
Gatimu asked Otero to start with her, requesting extra uniforms for her two daughters. Otero, however, hit back with a nasty response as he advised Gatimu to sell her phone and buy her children uniforms, telling her to "be a mother".
A shocked Gatimu tried to apologise noting she meant no harm, but Otero further attacked her, tweeting "Tumia akili shenzi type" which loosely translates to "Use your brain, dummy".
Kenyans on the platform joined in on the discussion as they put Otero on the spot for unnecessarily bullying the mother of two.
To support Gatimu, Kenyans were urged to send money to her mobile money account with her number shared online. Others invited her to their homes and offices to offer cleaning services.
Another group offered to purchase a washing machine for Gatimu, asking her to pick one out and share the price.
Castle Garden Hotel, located in Nairobi's Garden Estate, offered to treat Gatimu to lunch along with her children.
"For your hardwork we would love to treat you and your 2 daughters to a lovely lunch at our hotel," the establishment shared.
Otero later issued an apology on his page, writing: "I am sorry pals. That was rude from me. I have no excuse for my harsh behavior. I hope you will forgive me."
Gatimu has over the past several months been active on Twitter promoting her business which involves laundry and house cleaning.
Responding to trolls, she often reiterates that she chose her line of work to provide for her children.
"Until you wear my shoe and listen to my story of what I have gone through with my kids to be where we are now doing this job then you will stop judging me, but, for now, I will do what I do best to my clients homes with my ears closed," she wrote on Friday, January 31.
Gatimu was unreachable on both her numbers when contacted by Kenyans.co.ke on Monday, February 3.
Attempts to send money to her number, however, indicated that her M-Pesa account had reached the maximum balance limit of Ksh100,000.
"Failed. M-Pesa cannot authorize this transaction. Please request the recipient to check their balance," the service provider notified.
Watch a video of Lucy Gatimu at work below:
