Rough Cop Who Slapped The President Twice

Mzee Jomo Kenyatta’s government was led by James Erastus Mungai, a powerful government official. He was the Rift Valley Police Commissioner and a member of the founding father’s exclusive Kikuyu inner circle, according to reports. He wielded enormous power, as did Mzee’s other cronies, and was not afraid to show it.

In the 1970s, he was known as the tough, rough cop who rode his horse through the streets of Nakuru, stopping to whip anyone who did not yield to him or a motorist who had broken the law.

Mungai allegedly had police officers in uniform guard his Nakuru compound, milk his cows, feed his dogs, and clean his horses.

According to the Nation, Mungai established the Rift Valley Operation Team, a group of 200 police officers who were solely responsible to him. They would carry out operations under his direct supervision.

He once told them to take over security at the Nakuru State House, which enraged the Head of Presidential Security, who ordered that if Mungai’s officers were discovered there, they would be shot dead on sight.

His actions were interpreted as a coup attempt.

Moi Incident

Mzee Daniel Moi, the Vice President at the time, had a bad run with Mungai. He was a toothless VP in Kenyatta’s regime, an outsider in Mzee Jomo’s all-Kikuyu inner circle. As a result, many powerful government officials in Mzee’s regime relished the opportunity to humiliate Moi.

Moi: The Making of an African Statesman, by Andrew Morton, describes how, on his way back to Kenya from an OAU meeting in Kampala, Uganda, in 1975, he was stopped by Mungai’s men, who searched his motorcade and extended the search to his Nakuru home.

He was accused of bringing guns from Uganda to destabilize Kenyatta. Moi, shaken, drove to Nyeri to consult with then-Central Provincial Commissioner Simeon Nyachae, informing him that he’d had enough of government and would resign.

According to the Nation, Nyachae advised Moi not to resign, arguing that he should stay as long as Mzee Jomo didn’t have a problem with him.

In his autobiography, Morton writes, “On two occasions, Mungai slapped Moi in the face in front of President Kenyatta at State House Nakuru.”

Moi complained to Mzee Kenyatta about Mungai’s strip search, but the founding father’s response was rhetorical.

After a long and difficult road trip from Nakuru to Lokitaung shortly after Moi took power, Mungai fled to Sudan and later flew to exile in Switzerland. He couldn’t stand the cold weather in Switzerland after two months and began writing letters to Moi pleading for mercy.

He flew back to the country when he realized Moi was not interested in vengeance. Moi, thankfully, had no desire for vengeance, and he was allowed to leave in peace.