Being a politician is one of the most respected and well paying jobs. The position comes with status where different political office holders are popularly referred to as 'Mheshimiwa'.
With this status, politicians tend to have their way, however, there are instances where some of the leading politicians in the country have been publicly humiliated by sitting presidents, who happen to be their seniors.
In this article, we outline some of the instances where top politicians were humiliated by sitting presidents:
Mwangi Kiunjuri
He was publicly humiliated by former president Uhuru Kenyatta on a number of occasions. The first incident was when they visited Namibia, where the former Head of State scolded him for not taking notes, despite being a government minister.
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"Look at my brother Kiunjuri. He isn’t taking notes. He never bothered to do so when you were raising concerns. Just because you didn’t address his docket (Agriculture), he didn’t see a reason to write," Uhuru was quoted.
During the 2019 Mashujaa Day, Uhuru again lashed out at Kiunjuri, noting that he should deal with the cartels in the agriculture industry or risk paying the price.
"Kiunjuri, the time for play is over. You must find out who these cartels are and we will jail them. Lest you pay the price,'' Uhuru said.
Isaac Ruto
In 2001, former president, the late Mzee Daniel Arap Moi left former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto at the airport runway after he expressed a differing opinion to that of the then president.
According to Ruto, he questioned the decision to sack the late George Saitoti and Kalonzo Musyoka from Moi's government, a move he believes angered his boss.
He also had an exchange with the late Nicholas Biwott, who was a close ally of Kenya's second president.
Unaware that his bosses were unhappy with his questions and the exchange, he sent his bags to the cargo section, hoping to fly back with the president, only for his bags to be returned.
"The next morning, I tried to board the plane on our way to Nairobi but I was denied access. Moi and his delegation flew back. I was left on the tarmac. I was stranded for a few more days before I raised funds for fare back home," Ruto revealed.
File image of former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Hassan Joho. [Photo: Courtesy]
Hassan Joho
Prior to the 2018 handshake between Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM Party leader Raila Odinga, former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and Uhuru did not see eye to you.
The two had several exchanges, with the climax coming in March 2017, when Joho was blocked by security personnel from attending Uhuru's event in Mombasa.
The former governor pleaded with the security officers to let him in as the event was happening in his county, but his pleas fell on deaf ears.
Explaining why he blocked Joho from attending the event, Uhuru said the former governor wanted to use his (Uhuru's) event to insult him.
“Governor Joho tried to attend my function forcefully. That was my opportunity to explain to Mombasa residents what the national government had done for them. His only aim was to show off to residents that he could stand before them and insult me. I could not allow that," Uhuru opined.
CSs Kithure Kindiki and Moses Kuria
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki and his Public Service counterpart Moses Kuria were reported to have been locked out of President William Ruto's meeting at State House, Nairobi after arriving late.
The president had invited cabinet secretaries and other leaders to sign performance contracts, only for a number of them to arrive late and be locked out.
After the meeting, the president bashed leaders who came late, noting that those who do not keep time will not have it easy in his administration.
"If you come late you have basically dismissed yourself. You must have a written explanation that does not include traffic as a reason for lateness," Ruto noted.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also weighed in on the issue, noting that it is not justifiable.
''You can't arrive at an event when the President is already seated. Why would you come late? How do you explain that? Who did you go to see and yet today was the most important day for you to sign contracts?'' Gachagua posed.
