Kenyan content creator Alvin Oduor alias Mluo Social Light has addressed the controversy surrounding his political skits, opening up on the backlash that followed his online impersonations and satirical content that many viewers felt crossed a line during a politically charged period.
Speaking during an interview on Mic Cheque, the creator reflected on criticism that emerged online, particularly from viewers who believed his content had moved beyond humor and unintentionally normalized or softened public perception of political figures.
The discussion centered around a concern that had circulated across social media platforms — whether repeated skits and imitations of political personalities were indirectly sanitizing governance issues and controversial actions.
Responding to the issue, Mluo admitted that he later began understanding why some people reacted negatively to his content.
“For me, I’ll be honest, I feel like I was very insensitive at that time,” he said.
The creator explained that his intentions had never been politically driven and insisted that he had no affiliations with political circles despite widespread speculation online.
“But I’m not affiliated with those guys 100 percent. I don’t know how to prove it because sometimes you can’t even prove it,” he said.
According to him, much of his approach was inspired by traditions of political satire and public imitation that have existed for years.
“When I was growing up personally, people used to imitate presidents. So I felt like I’m just doing the same thing, on a light note, not knowing the things that the man did,” he explained.
Mluo suggested that during the early stages of creating such content, public engagement and reactions may also have influenced the direction of his work.
“Fans at that time were supporting him. You get me? Engagement at the end of the day,” he stated.
He further admitted that online audiences could have interpreted his content differently from how he initially intended it.
“I’ve been wrong either way. When you look at the perspective of a person who knows Rex, they can’t forgive me because they feel like this person is doing something wrong. There’s nothing you can do, but I understand their view,” he added.
Even with criticism surrounding his content, Mluo maintained that his original objective was never to glorify political figures but instead to simplify and interpret public statements through humor.
“I think I used to do it like criticism,” he explained.
According to him, comedy often helps translate complicated issues into forms that ordinary people can easily understand.
“So for me I was like, actually we should do more of that because maybe that’s the language an average person understands.”
However, he also acknowledged that audiences interpret content differently and that no creator can fully control public perception.
“We have different perspectives, so you have to understand every perspective of everyone regardless,” he said.
At the same time, he admitted that operating in Kenya’s political environment can sometimes create anxiety and uncertainty.
“Kwa hii Kenya bro, unaweza bebwa for saying anything,” he said, suggesting that public commentary occasionally comes with fears about safety and consequences.
He added that there were moments where he felt creators sometimes needed to carefully navigate sensitive topics.
“So sometimes lazima uchezange na hiyo radar.”
When asked whether political figures had contacted him over his videos, he simply replied:
“No, they don’t.”
