Former Lands Minister and freedom fighter Paul Ngei was a hard nut to crack and a troublesome individual.
One of such occasion was when the former Kangundo Member of Parliament walked into a DT Dobie showroom in the 1970s and requested to test-drive a brand new Mercedes Benz.
He, however, never returned the car whose registration read KNM 190, only reporting back to the dealer that he liked the car and will keep it.
He advised the dealer to invoice either the State House or Treasury for the payment.
The money was never paid, with the minister later being heard bragging that he was entitled to the car after taking part in the fight for independence in the 50s.
And when he realized that fellow freedom fighter Bildad Kaggia whom they were jailed with at the Lokitaung' Prison in Lodwar was living in poverty, he was again at it.
Kaggia who lived along the Thika-Nyeri Highway had nothing except a posho mill to his name, a situation that angered Ngei who advised him to storm the nearby Del Monte farm and allocate himself land.
“Kaggia, why live in abject poverty after spending all those years in prison fighting for independence! Today I am giving you permission to storm the neighbouring Del Monte pineapple farm and allocate yourself as many acres of land as you wish.
If anybody asks you a question, just direct them to me at Ardhi House. I will personally deal with them!” he was quoted by a Nation publication dated September 2017.
Ngei was declared bankrupt in the early 1990s before his death in August 2004, shortly after some of his property had been actioned due to unpaid bank debts.
Both his legs had also been amputated due to diabetes.
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