SAKAJA reveals the day he rejected UHURU’s job but regretted almost immediately when the president threatened to fire all his staff

Wednesday, December 9, 2020 – Nairobi Senator Johnson Sakaja has disclosed that he once turned down job offers from President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2009 to the point that the Head of State threatened to fire government staff. 

Speaking during an interview, Sakaja said that Uhuru, who was then the Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, wanted him to work at the National Treasury. 

“I was around 24 years.”

“I had my own car, house and company and the President wanted me to work with him at the Treasury. I did not want to join the Treasury or the government.”

“He had noticed that I had ideas after I came up with strategies on how to redraw boundaries.”

“But I changed my mind once and he threatened to fire his staff if they failed to hire me.”

“I joined him and for a few years worked with him (until 2013),” the Senator stated. 

He added that he was part of a team that attempted to revamp the Kenya National Union (KANU) while Kenyatta was still a member of the party.

However, the desire for new ideas saw them break away and form their own outfit, the National Alliance (TNA).

“The President asked me to be the Chairman of the party but at 27 years, I felt I was too young…but he had faith in me and together we ran a campaign that had never been witnessed in Kenya.”

“We rode on the energy of young ideas by enrolling the youth,” Sakaja stated.

He recalled how the two met in 2007 while he (Sakaja) was campaigning for former President Mwai Kibaki.

The Senator was then a student leader at the University of Nairobi (UoN).

The two became friends and used to meet from time to time.

Their discussions centered around their families, childhood and upbringing.  

The Kenyan DAILY POST