One of the most lucrative jobs in the Kenyan government is that of the Cabinet Secretary of Treasury (formerly Minister of Finance); the position is prestigious as its holder is mandated to control how the country's finances are spent.
While the CS Treasury may not appear in the media often, they are always prominent figures in financial events such as budget reading and functions of crucial institutions such as the Central Bank and the Kenya Revenue Authority, among others.
However, that was not the case in 1966 when James Gichuru, the then Finance minister, missed the official opening of the Central Bank of Kenya.
In the Biography 'Walking in Kenyatta’s Struggles,' Duncan Ndegwa, former Head of the Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet, noted that Gichuru missed the meeting because he was drunk.
Ndegwa said Gichuru was in a “drunken stupor and could not attend the opening of Kenya’s first Central Bank.”
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Gichuru's absence prompted Dr Njoroge Mungai, the Foreign Affairs Minister, to search for his written speech and read it on his behalf at the CBK opening ceremony.
Despite missing the critical meeting, Gichuru retained his place in government and pulled another embarrassing act in 1970 while reading the budget.
During the budget reading, Gichuru appeared intoxicated and muddled around senior leaders, including the late former President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and a group of foreign diplomats.
In his bio, Ndegwa notes that the session had to take a break for Gichuru to top up, popularly known as the 'kutoa lock.'
According to Ndegwa, Gichuru loved the bottle and spent much of his time at a local bar, where he reportedly forgot government documents and shared cabinet secrets.
Following the 1970 incident, Gichuru was transferred to the Ministry of Defence. He held the position until 1978.
Towards the end of his term, Gichuru developed health problems, which he battled until 1982 when he died.
