By the time he died on August 22, 1978, founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta had acquired several beach plots in the Coast region.
After independence, the President assumed the role of vetting the buying of beach plots and according to some publications, Kenyatta used the opportunity to allocate the properties to himself and his allies.
However, in some cases he bought the parcels of land from the owners who had acquired them legally.
In one such instance, the President was in the company of then Coast Provisional Commissioner Eliud Mahihu driving back to State House, Mombasa, from a beach hotel where they had lunch when he saw undeveloped plot.
"Can you find out who the owner of the plot is and tell him I can buy it from him even at double the market price?" the President asked his PC, although it was an order.
In an interview with Daily Nation's veteran journalist Kamau Ngotho, Mahihu said after searching he discovered that the plot belonged to his wife, Mama Ngina Kenyatta.
The PC informed Mama Ngina about Mzee's offer and she said she was not willing to sell the piece of land which she had acquired, interestingly, without her husband's knowledge.
The next day when Mahihu went to the State House to report back to the President, he found him seated with his wife.
"Mzee I got to know who owns the plot but I'm sorry she said she is not willing to sell it to you," the PC reported.
In his 'Memories From The Beat' column, Ngotho writes that Kenyatta, being the Head of State, was genuinely surprised that his offer could be rejected so casually and he ordered Mahihu to ask the woman to go to State House so they could have a dialogue.
Mahihu in his reply said: "Asking her to come to talk to you can't be difficult. Actually, she is right here and seated next to you."
Ngotho writes that the President could not believe what he heard and he burst out laughing and said:
"This must be the Uhuru (freedom) we fought for. Even our women can own land without our knowledge!"
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