Kenya’s first President, Jomo Kenyatta, once ordered a visiting African Head of State to restrict his stay to Mombasa because of a promise he had made to another president.
The unusual incident happened on May 23, 1964, when Liberian President William Tubman docked in Mombasa while travelling to Madagascar.
According to former Central Bank of Kenya Governor Duncan Ndegwa in his book, Walking in Kenyatta's Struggle: My Story, Kenyatta had made a special pact with his close friend, Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie.
Kenyatta had promised Selassie that he would be the first Head of State to visit Kenya after the country gained independence in 1963.
The promise was so important to the Kenyan leader that when Tubman arrived in Mombasa, he was instructed to confine his visit to the coastal city rather than proceed elsewhere in the country.
Kenyatta wanted to honour his commitment to Selassie by ensuring that the Ethiopian Emperor retained the distinction of being the first foreign Head of State to visit independent Kenya.
https://www.kenyans.co.ke/news/39022-day-mzee-kenyatta-ordered-confinement-visiting-president
Leave a Reply