Details surrounding the unique trip by President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga to Kisumu Port on Saturday evening have emerged, in a move that caught security details off-balance.
Moments after arriving at Kisumu International Airport, Uhuru held a brief chat with Mr Odinga, who had joined government dignitaries seeing off the president, before the Heat of State abandoned his plan and drove away with Raila.
"The pilot had started the engine and the President was due to board when the unexpected happened. We saw Raila pull him aside, whisper something to him and the plans quickly changed. The pilot had to turn off the engine,” said a State official.
“It was unbelievable. It happened so fast, everyone was thrown into a spin. No one knew where the two were going at dusk without security escorts. We later heard they were at the port.”
Everytime Raila visits the lakeside, he faces difficult times given the pressure from the public to give a speech. And this may also have informed Raila to use Uhuru's vehicle, registered on a public number plate.
In their company were Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju and Kisumu Deputy Governor Mathews Owili. The four drove to Kisumu Port and took super at a nearby Yatch Club.
The trip to the port, in which Raila had launched a dredger that will remove water hyacinth, lasted for at least four hours. Uhuru reportedly returned to the airport at 8:30pm.