A teen mother who went viral has come out to defend herself after reports went online that she was running a fraud scheme with her alleged boyfriend.
Shirleen Mukami, became the talk of town on Monday, November 15, after blogger Edgar Obare shared screenshots of a conversation with an informant who accused the teen mother of colluding with her alleged lover to swindle Kenyans.
In the screenshots, the informant narrated to blogger Obare how a man identified as Kenneth Kabuga Gachie allegedly masterminded the whole scheme, creating an emotional twitter thread that touched Kenyans' hearts leading to a whooping Ksh848,000 being raised within three days to aid the suffering and neglected young mother.
Taking to her social media pages on the night of Monday, November 15, Mukami distanced herself from the screenshots, stating that her initiative, dubbed the Baby Shower Sister Initiative, was legit.
She also stated that she had reached out to Gachie in order to popularise the campaign as he was good at social media.
"I, a single mom, approached Kenneth Gachie to help me popularise my initiative. As stated here already, he has been good at that and successfully did a campaign for his sister last year to buy an electric wheelchair and make donations to spinal injury victims."
"I've known Kenneth to be good with social media and believed he would help popularize my initiative and he did," she stated.
"I've called him about the chats with his boys and he said they were simply idle chats that he and his boys normally have. I feel terrible about the chats and how they have affected what I thought was going to be my biggest break."
The teen mom also noted that she had parted ways with Gachie in order to run the initiative by herself alongside her friends.
"I founded this campaign with Phoebe and Stella and we shall together address the matter fully in the video. We have contacted a lawyer who shall now move with us and we try to resolve these matters."
Mukami also affirmed that the funds contributed to the initiative had not been withdrawn.
"And for the record, none of the funds have so far been withdrawn. All the funds are still with Mchanga and we shall be advised on what to do with them."
The 20-year-old's story has touched many and sparked a debate among netizens on single motherhood. Narc Kenya leader, Martha Karua, was among the influential people who lauded the young mother for reaching out to Kenyans.
"Your courage and strength is a blessing to others and you deserve all the support. Keep going and you will achieve great things in life as you raise your lovely child," she stated.
