Atwoli’s advice to Waititu after Mashujaa Day embarrassment

COTU Secretary-General Francis Atwoli on Wednesday opined on embattled Kiambu Governor Ferdinand Waititu’s woes after he was kicked out of the VIP podium during the Mashujaa Day celebrations.

Speaking during a TV interview on Wednesday, Atwoli stated that Waititu should have waited to be shown where to sit instead of behaving like an entitled governor.

"If I were Waititu, I would arrive there and stand, like what we do, as I wait to be shown where to sit.

“You cannot go there and behave like you are still a governor. He should have gone there as a Kenyan, but he was not to choose where to sit until he was directed," said Atwoli.

Adding: “Even the Bible says that when you are invited to a function, do not choose where to sit but wait until you are shown.”

Earlier this week, Waititu denied claims that he was kicked out of the VIP podium saying he had showed up for the celebrations at Mama Ngina drive without an invitation card and consequently found no seat reserved for him.

This, he said, created a “small” confusion.

 “What caused the confusion was that I did not have an invitation card for Mashujaa day. I thought it was just the normal Mashujaa Day Celebrations where you can show up uninvited, but I was wrong," said Waititu.

"When I arrived at the podium I realised that no seat had been reserved for me, so I decided to leave,” Waititu told The Standard.

The governor said he arrived too early for the function, and as such, there was no one to consult the day's sitting arrangements, prompting him to go back to his hotel not far away from the venue.

“Those saying that I was chased away so as not to be seen close to the President are people intent on portraying me in bad light. I am not a native of Mombasa.

“The sun and the heat was too much for me and so I decided to follow the proceedings from my room,” he said.