Victor Wanyama street naming removal causes Twitter buzz

‘Wanyama Street’ causes storm

Kenyans express dismay at removal of street sign, others say the law has to be followed

The pulling down of a street named after Tottenham and Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama in Dar es Salaam caused social media buzz with Kenyans On Twitter (KOT) blaming Tanziania for the act.

The celebrated Wanyama was honoured in Tanzania on Saturday by having a street named after him, but the honour was short-lived as local websites showed a picture of the street sign being taken down the following day.

Although no reaction has come so far from Wanyama, Kenyans on Twitter made their feelings known.

VICTOR WANYAMA STREET Victor Wanyama stands next to a sign proclaiming honour to him in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday June 24, 2017. The sign was removed the following day. [Internet]

Using the trending hashtag #VictorWanyama, Twitter users who included residents from Tanzania were divided.

@shangiliafrica tweeted: #victorwanyama politics in Tanzania. A day after naming a street after him. It’s been pulled down. Politics at work.

To Kenyan Simon Kabue, it showed our failure to honour our own heroes.

@twinoftwinzz tweeted: #victorwanyama Street away from home??? That really shows how Kenyans don’t honour the little things we have around.

@esto_symon tweeted: Basi mitaa yote iliyopewa majina isiyo ya watanzania zifutwe pia if that is the case. #victorwanyama.

A statement from the local Ubungo council said in Kiswahili that procedures to rename a street had not been observed.

It said Act 8 of 1982, chapter 288 gives local councils the power to name, where necessary, all streets (such names to be affixed in conspicuous places), and to cause the buildings in such streets to be numbered.

Wanyama was in Tanzania on holiday and had attended a local tournament in the suburb of Ubungo, Dar es Salaam.