In the last years of his tenure, Kenya’s first President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was slowly losing his memory as told by former CBK Governor Duncan Ndegwa in his book, Walking in Kenyatta Struggles.
In 1977, visiting Vice President of Egypt,Hosni Mubarak, went to meet Kenyatta at State House and lined up to greet him.
When President Kenyatta arrived Mubarak leaned forward in an attempt to greet Mzee but he strutted right past the foreign delegation.
Just before Kenyatta got to his seat, Vice President Daniel Moi had to intervene and gesture the Head of State to acquaint himself with the visiting officials.
That was not the only goof that happened during that particular meeting.
Earlier before Kenyatta arrived, Kenyan government officials, among them Minister of State Mbiyu Koinange, had already settled in.
Kenya’s first President Mzee Jomo KenyattaAccording to journalist Levin Opiyo‘s deduction of the video, when Moi shouted “Mbiyu”, Mubarak got confused and stood up thinking he was the President.
It appeared that Moi just wanted Mbiyu to keep Mubarak company as he went to fetch Kenyatta.
Mubarak would later make a return to Kenya in 1984, only this time both he and Moi were the rulers of their respective nations.
Moi’s presidential term came to an end after the 2002 General Election, having served 24 years. Mubarak, on the other hand, was bundled out of his 30-year presidency in 2011 during the Arab spring.
