One of the most guarded buildings and compounds in the country is State House, the official residence of the President of the Republic of Kenya. The “house on the hill,” is on a 100-acre prime plot, as nicknamed by the media, and is a fortress with 24-hour armed guards from the crack unit Recce squad of the General Service Unit (GSU), a paramilitary outfit within the National Police Service. State House also has a sophisticated electrified fence, security cameras and alarms in place to keep off unwelcome visitors and intruders.
Despite the elaborate security arrangements, two embarrassing incidents were reported. The first one was intrusion by a Legio Maria follower who was found dressed in his robes and carrying a religious stick and sleeping inside one of the rooms. When asked and grilled how he penetrated the tight security he said: “I was sent by the Holy Spirit to see President Moi!”
I was so privileged to enter the building for the first time in August 1978 when my mother, Mary Orlale, tagged me along to join long queues of Kenyans from all walks of life to pay our last respect to the founder of the nation, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta following his death in Msambweni, in Kwale County, while on an official trip.
It was also during one of our annual train trips to Mombasa in the Coast Province, in early 1970s, that our uncle took us one evening to join hundreds of residents and leaders to visit Mombasa State Lodge, where we saw Jomo Kenyatta being entertained, mostly by school choirs and traditional dance troupes.
My maiden visit in 1978 to State House Nairobi was a combination of excitement, fear and curiosity at the massive building, luxurious interior decors and mammoth crowds walking past the remains placed on a table in the middle of a huge hall.
I was also perplexed to see our President, who was always on his feet and frequently travelled between his Gatundu home and constituency, in Kiambu District, to his office in Nairobi. Jomo, as he was fondly known, also frequented Nakuru and Mombasa State Lodges during his countryside visits and tours with his flywhisk greeting the public. But on this day, he was no longer “mtukufu Rais (your excellency)” but “hayati (the late); lying on a huge table facing the roof and with closed shoes, unlike his usual open ones.
"Wewe mtoto, wacha kuzubaa, ona mwili na upite (you young boy, stop procrastinating: view the body and leave)!" shouted one of the Recce squad officers with a menacing look and voice, as my mother pulled me away from the corpse.
Fast forward to 1985 when my mother again tagged me along with an official invitation card to attend a state function at Nyayo National Stadium, off Mombasa Road, near Nairobi West Estate.
We enjoyed the trappings of power by being given Very Important Persons (VIPs) seats next to the Presidential dais where Daniel arap Moi was entertained by school choirs, traditional dancers and military troops who did their drills as Kenya Airforce jets and helicopters did a colourful fly past.
But my first time to access State House Nairobi on my own was as a senior reporter at Nation Media Group when we went to cover several events of local and international significance.
The major one that is still vivid in my mind was on eve of 2002 General Elections when the United States Secretary of State, Colin Powell, paid Moi a courtesy call. They held a closed door meeting, which we were later informed was tense as Moi was under pressure from development partners and Western powers to respect the constitution which barred him from seeking a second term to extend his 24-year rule.
After their meeting, the barrage of local and foreign journalists were invited to a press conference on the side entrance to the massive mansion, previously occupied by the last Governor of Kenya, Sir Michael Blundell, in 1963. We all rushed and TV and radio colleagues took strategic positions ready for the 'splash of the day,’ headline. Lee Njiru was the Head of the Presidential Press Service, and he arrived early to ensure the venue and public address system was in order. Few minutes later, President Moi led some of his cabinet ministers to usher the U.S. government official to address the excited journalists.
President Moi, as host, was the first to speak before he welcomed Collin Powell to address the media. Both focused on diplomatic niceties, cordial relations, trade between the two countries among others. By then there was no significant news as far as the media was concerned, on that cold Saturday afternoon. We knew better about what they had described as: "Cordial relations between the two countries.”
Everything changed when Lee Njiru opened up the press conference for Questions and Answers, as us a standard practice in the U.S., but frowned upon locally. The first question was fired by one of the American journalists whom we were later informed had accompanied the Secretary of State for the Kenyan visit. Asked the no nonsense journalist: "Mr. President, can you confirm that you are not intending to extend your term as other African leaders like Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe?"
Everyone including Collin Powell froze as an agitated Moi responded telling off the journalist, accusing him of looking down upon him and African leaders and people as a whole. “How many times must I repeat to the media that I will go home to my Kabarak home when my second term ends? I made the announcement in New York and you are still asking me the same question!" And with those few words, Moi turned his back to the journalists and walked into State House and brought the much awaited press conference to an abrupt end.
My next visit o State House was to cover the departure of Moi into retirement in 2003 after he handed over power to his former Vice-President Mwai Kibaki, who had resigned, joined the opposition, and vied against Moi’s preferred candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta, and won the 2002 hotly contested presidential elections in the county's history. As Moi's presidential convoy left Nairobi State House for Uhuru Park, some three kilometers away, I was among the few journalists assigned to cover the historic and emotional event.
By coincidence I met a former primary schoolmate of mine Jimmy Wanjigi, who was former Vice President George Saitoti's aide, running the show at the main entrance to the main building. We had light chat as he walked into the building with me hot on his heels past the first two plain clothed security guards. But as I proceeded enjoying the thick red carpet, it felt like a lawn on a golf course, another guard intercepted me menacingly asking me who I was and where I was going to?
"I am Jimmy Wanjigi’s guest....." I whispered so my former classmate would not hear the white lie. The guard cut me short and ordered me to get back to where I belong! An hour later, Moi arrived after handing over power to Kibaki in one of the most chaotic state functions. He then held a closed-door meeting with Kanu chairman and presidential elections loser, Uhuru Kenyatta and his former cabinet ministers, sneaked through a side entrance from the main building and entered a Kenya Air force chopper for the last time as president, to start his private life at his Kabarak home in Nakuru district, after 24 years as President and 15 as Vice President.
My exclusive news story the following day on the front page of Nation was from a tip by a Presidential Press Service journalist who whispered to me: “How could you miss the story of the day? Sally Kosgei, the Head of Civil Service led the ministers and State House staff to weep as Moi boarded the chopper and waved at them with his ceremonial Nyayo stick!”
Under President Kibaki, I also made several official visits, but none stood out as the one where he hosted his counterparts from the East African Community: Yoweri Museveni of Uganda and Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania.
After the light entertainment, Kibaki’s turn came to invite his guests to address the meeting attended by a barrage of local and foreign journalists.
Biggest blunder ever.
Kibaki was unable to remember the name of Museveni and Kikwete who had sat next to him. It was embarrassing and frustrating to his handlers who were helpless. At the time Kibaki was still recuperating from a serious road accident during the campaigns which forced him to be admitted at Nairobi Hospital and later in London, where he was with his future vice president in the same hospital.
Kibaki recovered, won the elections while on a wheelchair, and was sworn in as the Third President at Uhuru Park, while wearing a neck brace. The third President had many public blunders and embarrassing incidents. Another one was at on a sunny Saturday morning at a launch of a national tree-planting function in Kinale Forest, off Nairobi-Naivasha highway, when a heavy downpour interrupted his speech forcing his transport manager and his team to reorganize the return trip to Nairobi.
But because Kibaki was not informed or consulted, he assumed the driver was abandoning him and heading to State House minus the boss! They later drove the limousine next to the dais and he entered and the matter seemed to have ended there.
Said Kibaki: “Wewe, unaenda wapi? mavi ya kuku! Unafikiri wewe ni nani (where are you going, chicken shit! Who do you think you are?”
I quoted the President verbatim, as a Senior Parliamentary Reporter, in my news report, but the editors chose to leave the context out of the quote. But the best visit under Kibaki regime was when the media was invited by the Office of the First Lady, Lucy Kibaki, for a sundowner thanksgiving wine and jazz get-together with women leaders who helped her husband win the 2002 General Elections with a big margin.
All the who-is-who among women leaders in the private sector, civil society and public service attended dressed in their best dresses and styles. Unlike other State functions, this one was very informal. Media and guests were allowed to mingle at a private garden in the middle of the horse-shoe designed mansion.
It was we were there that we were entertained by a local jazz band and were invited to an open bar where wine and soft drinks flowed freely from 5pm. To 6pm, with very light speeches.
Fast forward to 2019
I was back to State House, as a book reviewer for Saturday Nation, after taking early retirement a decade earlier. This time around, Uhuru Kenyatta was our host as the fourth President.
He had invited former Karachuonyo Member of Parliament, Phoebe Asiyo, to launch her memoir; It is Possible, at a very well organized, colorful and attended garden event graced by the who-is-who in the women's movement in Kenya.
After the brief speeches we were invited to a grand luncheon on the State House grounds in a mega tent decorated with the national colours, red, white, green and white, where Kenyatta shared a table with Mrs Asiyo and Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who had contested the 2013 and 2018, polls against him and Mrs Ida Odinga, as we enjoyed the live jazz band by the State House choir and sumptuous luncheon brushing shoulders with the wielders of power.
I made up for missing the controversial breakfast for members of Kenya Editors Guild in 2013, after Uhuru’s swearing in as Kibaki’s successor.
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