Kabogo: I have an OGW title but I was told to pay for medal

During this year's Jamhuri Day celebrations, several Kenyans were honoured for their distinguished services to the nation.

Among them were governors, cabinet secretaries, and sports personalities, among other categories in a list that was published in a special Gazette Notice.

Soon after the list was published, Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, through his social media X handle, shared a copy of the list and captioned; "We Shall be there no matter what".

Kuria's post elicited reactions from Kenyans with some claiming the State Honours have lost meaning.

"Those awards lost meaning and became useless when they were made a platform and means for recognizing political loyalists and all manner of failures in Kenya," one of the followers on X observed.

The heated debate online came just a month after former Kiambu governor William Kabogo said he never received the honour.

Kabogo, appeared on Spice FM's Situation Room to discuss current affairs, including his performance as governor, among other issues, said: "I don't have the E.G.H (Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart) medal which was given to governors."

He added: "There was a time I was in a function and I had been addressed in the programme as HE William Kabogo, OGW (Order of the Grand Warrior). It was a government function. However, I have never seen that medal. At some point, I was told that I needed to buy the medal."

During the 60th Jamhuri Day celebrations, about 900 Kenyans were feted. They included politicians. Notable on the list include nice CSs who received the highest honours.

Governors who were honoured included Nairobi's Johnson Sakaja, Khalif Mohamed Adan (Mandera), Homa Bay's Gladys Wanga and Machakos Governor Wavinya Ndeti. [Pkemoi Ng'enoh]