Lee Njiru who worked as a pressman for President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta for one year before the latter's death has made several new revelations about Kenyatta that many Kenyans could be hearing for the first time.
Njiru speaking on Citizen TV's Jeff Koinange Live show on Wednesday painted a new picture of Kenyatta who was not only feared but also a mysterious man that none of his subjects could comprehend.
"There are things we had been told by our parents about Mzee Kenyatta, there was no known playmate nor schoolmate of his. Some even said Mzee had a hairy tongue and that he had fought the colonialists bare-knuckled," Njiru said.
Here are 6 other things that Njiru revealed during the interview about Kenyatta that many may be hearing for the first time.
1. Mzee had three close international friends. The three are then Ethiopian leader Haile Selassie, Josip Broz Tito of Yugoslavia and Kamuzu Banda of Malawi. Njiru noted that Kenyatta's friendship with Tito and Selassie was so close that their countries' embassies in Kenya were allocated land just a stone-throw away from State House.
2. Mzee Kenyatta did not work on Mondays. He took time off to work on his private businesses in Gatundu. All the other times, Njiru said, Kenyatta would report to State House at 9.30am and retire to his Gatundu home at 3.30pm.
3. Mzee was a punctual man and if someone was late for his function he would cane them. Njiru noted that Mzee was 'tough, fair and firm'. He narrated an incident where Kenyatta forced a cameraman working for the then Presidential Press Unit to kneel down till the end of a function because of beaming camera flashlight on his eyes.
4. Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was very close with his Vice President Daniel arap Moi. Njiru revealed that Kenyatta had even met Moi for a long time in Nakuru before leaving for Mombasa where he died some few days later.
5. Kenyatta's favourite dish was ugali, roast meat and soup. He described President Uhuru Kenyatta's love for the same as 'bricks from the main block'.
6. There were traditional dancers and secondary school students every day in State House to entertain Kenyatta. His favourite dance was 'mwomboko' which he said Kenyatta would dance to the 'last leg'.
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