Citizen TV's Stephen Letoo Elected Men's Conference Chairman

Citizen TV senior political reporter Stephen Letoo was on Tuesday, February 14 elected as the new ‘Men’s Conference’ chairman.

Letoo held off formidable competition from Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Secretary General Francis Atwoli to win with 10,023 votes while Atwoli came in second with 9,087 votes.

“Stephen Letoo is officially our chairman. The social media and media presence and campaigns appear to work to his advantage,” Albert Kochei, the national convenor of the event, revealed to Nairobi News.

Stephen Letoo with Shaffie Weru at the Men's Conference on February 14, 2023. /FACEBOOK.STEPHEN LETOO

The voting exercise was done both physically and online during the event that attracted over 19,000 men on a hybrid basis and saw participants banned from wearing red outfits.

The agenda of the meeting was ‘The status of men in society’ and ‘What way forward for the men.’

Kochei explained that the forum highlighted the plight of the ‘boy-child,’ raising divorce rates among men, and other contemporary issues facing men as well as deliberation on LGBTQ issues.

He also added that young men also provided an avenue to be mentored by other successful men in the country.

The conference brought together men from across the country on the day that coincided with Valentine’s Day and celebrated the life and times of the pioneer ‘Men conference’ chairman and Eldoret-based veteran politician-cum-businessman Mzee Jackson Kibor, who died in March 2022, which made his seat fell vacant as a result.

In 2019, Mzee Kibor gained national attention after addressing the first Men’s Conference in Eldoret town during Valentine’s Day. He then made headlines for fighting his wives and children over his property.

For a Kenyan man, the "Men's Conference" is a yearly affair, and while it might look like a serious thing to an outsider, it is a non-existent serious gathering of men whereby men are taught how not to do all things that women want.

The day of the conference coincides with Valentines' Day when you are expected to gift your partners, to celebrate love. However, for this 'conference,' you attend to show that you are busy and won't be able to do any of that.

In summary, at the conference men are taught how not to simp. A simp is slang for a man who is desperate for the attention and affection of a woman and is ready to do anything for her.

It can also be said to be a way to counter females are believed to be the most vulnerable on Valentines' Day.

The 2023 conference held at the Carnivore in Nairobi featuring guest speakers such as former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko, Dr Frank Njenga and Lawyer Danstan Omari was the first real conference held after three years of hosting it on an imaginary basis.

A past Men's Conference event. /STANDARD DIGITAL