Mining Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho has narrated how he was confronted by one of President William Ruto’s aides for wearing a cap in front of the Head of State.
Speaking during an event in Homa Bay on Thursday, May 29, Joho said he had found Ruto to be easy to work with after joining his administration, and did not think wearing the cap would be an issue.
“One day, I had just joined President Ruto’s government, and I found him to be a very easy guy, no pressure. We could talk freely, and there was no pressure,” Joho said.
He then explained how, on one occasion, he wore a cap to a meeting as part of his usual style. He explained that after walking to where Ruto was, he was unexpectedly confronted by the President's aide.
“I walked in wearing my cap, as I always do. But someone came up to me aggressively and asked, ‘You’re a Cabinet Secretary, how can you wear a cap?’ I looked at him and wondered — out of everything we’re discussing here, this is what he noticed? Just the cap?” Joho recalled.
Joho added that after that incident, he got furious until Ruto intervened and advised him to stay calm and ignore the incident.
He said that after he left the meeting, he thought deeply about how the individual focused on petty things instead of bigger national issues.
“I looked at the boss (Ruto), and he just told me, ‘Calm down. Forget about that story,” Joho said.
“I went home asking myself, in that room we discussed serious matters, but all he saw was my cap,” Joho added.
Joho said that the following day, he purposely wore the same cap again, and when the President saw him from a distance, he acted wisely by sending someone to politely ask Joho to remove it later, without causing a scene.
“The next day, I looked for that cap and wore it again. When the President saw me coming, he sent someone to tell me, ‘You’ll wear that cap later, just let it pass for now,’” Joho narrated.
He concluded by saying that this experience taught him that people think differently. Some leaders genuinely care about the country and the public, while others focus only on personal interests, their families, and close friends.
