Is public shaming a justified response for moral dilemmas?

There is a raging debate over the Cybercrime Law that among other things, criminalises public shaming through technological platforms and devices. This is coming barely a month after a video emerged showing Kirinyaga County Deputy Governor Peter Ndambiri with a female colleague being harassed by unidentified men for allegedly committing adultery.

This incident, as isolated as it may be, provides an ample opportunity to reflect on citizens’ rights to mete patriarchal justice on an alleged adulterous couple, and the moral dilemmas such actions manifest. Broadly speaking, the incident questions the boundaries of marriage, justifiability of cultural norms and limitations of the state.