Now at the centre of the storm, Agriculture minister Mwangi Kiunjuri is not a stranger to controversy after all.
At Mashujaa Day, President Uhuru Kenyatta fired salvos to the minister over unpaid balances of maize farmers but unmoved, Kiunjuri, with his synonymous accent, could convene a press conference days later to 'shift blame'.
"I am now being roasted for what I have not done. I gave a report but DPP and EACC haven't responded yet. Let them tell us what happened," he said, in his own defense, over the loss of over Sh2.5 billion from NCPB.
But his defiance and swift decision making can be traced at the then Kebirigo Mixed Secondary School, now Kebirigo Boys High School after transformation five years ago, where he taught Kiswahili and History in 1995.
His former campus mate at Moi University, Isaac Onyancha, describes him as a man 'who dares to keep on trying no matter the circumstances'.
"He was my campus mate and I know him well. He kept on trying even when the future is uncertain. He loves challenges," noted Mr Onyancha, now the Director Public Participation, Nyamira County.
But his teaching career, Onyancha notes, did not last long since he quit from Kebirigo Boys, just a year into the tough calling.
The institution, though not one of the highly performing schools, is located in Bonyamatuta ward, Kebirigo market, not far away from renowned leaders who gave shaken Kenyan history.
"He just taught for one year Kiswahili and C. R. E. He could not withstand the pressure in teaching and quit for Matatu business where he became a tout in Central and Nairobi," he notes.
Not far from the institution, former area MP George Morara's home is located so as Chief Justice David Maraga and Governor John Nyagarama, who is serving his second term.
School principal Andrew Gesora, when contacted, he admits that indeed Kiunjuri was a member of the staff before resigning in 1995.
However, records of how he performed or motivated his students remain scanty, with just a staff list being the only evidence.
"I have seen his name on records. He was a member here so this isn't just a small institution. We are proud to have a colleague in cabinet," he says.
And after two years as tout, Kiunjuri was elected in 1997 to parliament on Democratic Party, a seat he retained in 2002. In 2007 he joined PNU and served the constituency until 2013
Uhuru first appointed him to cabinet in 2015 as Devolution minister before switching him to Agriculture early this year.
However, despite testing his challenges at Kebirigo, Kiunjuri has not yet visited the institution throughout his political and Matatu business journey.
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