A presidential palace, be it State House or private residence, is usually a highly guarded place where serious business is transacted. But sometimes back in 1974, President Jomo Kenyatta had his Gatundu home hosting a crime suspect.
In his Memories from the Beat, veteran journalist Kamau Ngotho, narratives how the then Kikuyu MP Joseph Gatuguta narrowly escaped police arrest before taking refuge in Kenyatta's home.
At that time, he recalls, the MPs supporters had descended on rivals leading to ugly confrontations that saw his opponent, Kabibi Kinyanjui's supporters injured.
To avoid arrest, the MP, who would later lose the 1974 elections, drove to Kenyatta's Gatundu residence to seek protection. While at Gatundu, police launched man hunt for him.
Told what had happened, the older Kenyatta telephoned Police Commissioner Benard Hinga, whom he thought was not aware. Thereafter the commissioner informed Kenyatta that police were pursuing the MP.
Impressed with the commissioner's control over the event, Kenyatta narrated to the commissioner that the MP had hid in his house. While the police boss insisted that the MP must be arrested, Kenyatta asked him to pardon the MP.
Interestingly, the founding father insisted that if the MP misbehaved again, he would arrest and surrender him to the police.