An incident in New Zealand two decades ago that gave rise to 'the bull of Auckland' tag is among the mysteries that stalked Nicholas Biwott to his death.

What is publicly acknowledged of the incident 22 years ago is that Mr Biwott, who was part of the Kenyan delegation, had to cut short his trip to avert a diplomatic spat with New Zealand authorities.

Yesterday, for the first time, a former minister who was part of the delegation at the time but who did not want to be named, recounted how they sneaked Biwott out of a hotel to escape police who were waiting to pounce on him in the lobby.

The former minister explained that, acting on the information they had received about the incident that involved a female hotel housekeeper and over which Biwott earned the tag 'the bull of Auckland', which he disowned, they made a hurried decision to sneak him out of New Zealand before he was arrested.

Kalonzo Musyoka, then the Foreign Affairs minister, and Head of Civil Service Sally Kosgei were immediately roped into the crisis and organised an air ticket and visa to get Biwott to Singapore via Melbourne, Australia.

President Moi and his delegation were scheduled to head to Singapore next, hence the idea to get Biwott there to fly back home with the rest of the team in order not to raise any suspicion.

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Exit doors

"We sneaked him out through one of the hotel exit doors. A taxi was waiting outside and, with the visa in his hand, he went straight to the airport," recalled the source.

"We were not interested in any diplomatic problems with New Zealand. We knew the government would not demand his arrest once he was out of the country. It surprised us that the information had already been leaked to journalists in Nairobi through the Foreign Affairs ministry," he added.

He recalled how it all started.

"We travelled together to New Zealand for the Heads of State and Government meeting. After the day's session, we were told the New Zealand police were looking for Hon Biwott," he said.

"The officers were in the lobby. We tried to find out why the police were looking for him. We saw the officers and retreated so we could find a way out without sparking a diplomatic spat."

Scanty information is in the public domain on the identity of his allegedly victim during the Commonwealth meeting in 1995.

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The complainant was a female house keeper but what actually happened inside the hotel room has been the subject of speculation. The house keeper rushed out of the room and reported to the manager that something had happened; the manager in turn called the police.

The Foreign Affairs office was informed and Kalonzo organised Biwott's immediate exit.

According to the source, 'Total Man's' version was that he had just had a shower and opted to relax after a busy day before putting on his clothes.

"While in his birth suit," he decided to sit on the couch and watch TV.

"He relaxed in the comfort of his room, not expecting any interruptions. But he interrupted - by a New Zealand lady who came to offer 'room service'. The unexpected 'visitor' accessed his room. Knowingly or unknowingly, he stood up naked and beckoned to her to come in," said the late minister's former colleague.

"The lady opened the door and wanted to turn down the bed. When she saw Biwott nude, she ran out of the room."

The source hinted that it was either that 'Total Man' attempted to grab the lady or his beckoning sent mixed signals.

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In an effort to cover up the story, an attempt was made to pin the matter on a security officer in the delegation, but this backfired.

Blame shifted

Blame was then shifted to the late Tony Ndilinge, who was forced to even swear by the Bible at home to clear his name.

"At some point, we were forced to ask President Moi to convene a meeting to stop Biwott from trying to impose the matter on others," said the source.

In November 1995, five days after the trip, James Orengo, while asking in Parliament why GG Kariuki (now deceased) was being allowed to speak from the dispatch box, referred to Biwott as 'the bull of Auckland', rather than Hon Biwott.

Even in death, Kenyans will never know what exactly happened. Detailing the diplomatic spat that followed after John Mackinon, the New Zealand minister of Foreign Affairs, wrote a letter to his then Kenyan counterpart Kalonzo explaining why Biwott had to be deported.

Although the exact contents of the letter remain a secret, Kalonzo was forced to respond to a question by a parliamentarian a few weeks later.

A Kenyan legislator claimed in Parliament that the lady in question was the wife of a pilot who worked for international airlines. This was never confirmed, and nothing else is known about her.

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That is not the only mystery that shrouded Total Man. The former Keiyo South MP trusted no one, not even his own security detail, friends or colleagues.

A retired Kenya Power official who asked not to be named described the former Cabinet minister as a bully.

The official recalled how he brushed shoulders with the former minister a few years ago, which almost cut his life short.

Execute order

He said the minister had directed him to execute an order that was not part of his mandate.

He was to immediately release a luxury Mercedes Benz Biwott had imported from Israel but that had been held in Mombasa port for several days.

Many described him as a man who was obsessed with security - he switched cars in a span of less than a kilometre when travelling from one destination to another during his private and official Government missions.

He was also well known for his habit of not accepting drinks or food brought to him in restaurants.

And the former minister was also keen on not disclosing his age.