Cabinet Secretary who missed presidential function because he was drunk

Photo: Courtesy

Former Finance Minister James Gichuru was a close ally of the first President of Kenya, the late Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, but made a series of blunders during his tenure in the finance docket. The late Gichuru was well known for his love for alcohol, something that led him to commit high profile errors during events.

In 1966 when the Central Bank of Kenya was officially opening its doors to members of the public, Gichuru was expected to read out a speech but was nowhere to be seen as he had chewed a blackout after heavy drinking. This forced Dr Njoroge Mungai (then Minister for Defence) to run to Gichuru's office to look for his written speech.