Stories of highly secretive politicians who trusted nobody with what they ate are many. The names of the late Nicholas Biwott and George Saitoti come to mind.
After his death, The Standard wrote how: “Biwott would not serve himself food at the Bunge cafeteria but he would still eat anyway. His trick was simple; he would either join MPs already served at a table and pour for himself their tea or just direct waiters rushing tea and snacks to another table to give him and then go back for a fresh order.”
It is claimed that the late Saitoti had been poisoned. According to the late President Daniel Arap Moi, the poisoning was motivated by a conspiracy to overthrow his government. After that incident, the former Vice President Saitoti was cautious about his food and wary of who was around him.
According to his former security chief, from then on, four security officers would check his food throughout the cooking and serving.
“He would not eat anything that had not been cleared as fit for his consumption by his security team.”
“Saitoti would later tell Parliament his skin peeled off after the poisoning and a new one grew in its place. But alongside the new body cover, also came a different view of life and its risks,” wrote The Standard in 2012 after the politician’s death in a plane crash.
Even today, politicians still have these fears. Some of the politicians interviewed said it would be dangerous for them to step out of their homes without a heavy meal.
“As a politician, you should avoid eating everywhere you go to avoid cases of food poisoning. Eating everywhere and anywhere is dangerous as your competitors can infiltrate into your camp and harm you. It’s advisable you only eat from your house,” said Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi.
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