The story involving Allan Ochieng and Juliet Awata has generated two major talking points. On one hand, many people have found humour in it, while on the other, the incident has also provoked feelings of shame and embarrassment.
I will address both sides, bearing in mind that I have neither been abandoned in such a situation nor have I ever left anyone in the predicament that the beautiful Juliet found herself in.
First, despite the many complaints from Juliet over how Allan Ochieng allegedly left her with a KSh10,000 bill to settle at a restaurant in Sarit Centre, I believe there is still information missing from the other side of the story.
According to Juliet Awata, Allan first approached her through Facebook and expressed romantic interest through her inbox. She says that after visiting his profile, she noticed that he appeared to be a middle-aged man with a ruddy appearance and assumed that he must be financially stable. By her own admission, that is what attracted her most to Allan Ochieng.
One thing that caught my attention is how easily people can become emotionally attached through social media. Both Allan and Juliet appear to be victims of how simple it has become to form relationships online. There seemed to have been very little concrete interaction before these two strangers developed feelings for each other.
This raises an important question: why would anyone trust a person they have just met on social media to such an extent that they would comfortably consume food worth thousands of shillings, fully expecting the bill to be paid by someone who is practically still a stranger? In my view, there was an element of carelessness on the part of the lady.
On that score, I understand those who have sided with the man. Juliet should have exercised more caution and appreciated that dates do not always go as planned. From her reactions, she seemed to have entirely depended on Allan Ochieng’s pocket to settle the bill.
Many men celebrating Allan’s disappearance after the pair reportedly consumed food worth KSh8,450 are doing so because they feel that countless men have, over the years, suffered at the hands of women who exploit their generosity and drain whatever little money they have.
However, there is another side to the story, and it paints a rather shameful picture, especially for a man who is traditionally expected to take responsibility and provide protection.
Generally, when one person invites another out on a date, the person who initiated the invitation is expected to foot the bill. In this case, Allan Ochieng ought to have been gentlemanly enough to pay the reported KSh10,000 bill incurred at the Sarit Centre restaurant.
In fact, one could argue that Allan had already eaten a considerable amount of food before Juliet joined him. According to Juliet, he hardly ordered anything substantial while they were together. If her account is accurate, then it suggests that he had already enjoyed himself while knowing, deep down, that he had no intention of paying for what he had consumed.
If that is indeed what transpired, then I think it was a rather low act for a man who had invited a lady for a meeting.
Ultimately, while Juliet may have exercised poor judgment by placing so much trust in a stranger, Allan, if the allegations against him are true, also failed to uphold the basic decency and responsibility expected of someone who initiates a date. The incident, therefore, offers lessons for both men and women navigating modern relationships in the age of social media.
