Ahead of the Jamhuri Day celebrations, we look at some of the epic moments that have shaped the history of our nation. Lee Njiru was Daniel Arap Moi’s Press Secretary for the entire 24 years that Mzee ruled this country.
And in his Behind The Scenes, Lee has revealed some of the things we didn’t know about the former President. Some people believe Moi was a no nonsense dictator who ruled with an iron fist.
But there is actually a day, when his guns could not save him from an embarrassment.
The following is an excerpt from what transpired on that fateful day.
“Moi was wearing a beautiful blue jacket, but as he sat down one button fell off. The entire presidential team had guns of all types, including rifles and grenades, but we did not have a thread and a needle.
GG Kariuki’s daughter Nyakinyua came to the rescue but she was full of fear. How do you touch the president’s jacket, you can get shot!
So Mzee asked: “Nyakinyua, wewe uko na sindano? Do you have a thread?” She said yes. “Can you fix it for me?”
Mzee removed the jacket and handed it over to the lady. She went into one of her rooms and fixed the button. We were overwhelmed and ashamed because we had everything, but we could not fix a button!”
This is just one of the things that we didn’t know about the former president. Can you imagine Moi’s jacked being fixed with a normal thread and a needle?
Well, this just shows that Moi was a human being after all.