Veteran Nation Media Group (NMG) journalist Caleb Atemi narrated how a story he once wrote got him in trouble with the late president Daniel arap Moi.
Atemi stated that he was covering the 1994 hotly contested Lugari by-election, an event that saw President Moi visit the constituency to drum up support for his party candidate who was running on a KANU ticket.
Atemi claimed he made seemingly unsavoury reference to the crowed that had attended Moi's rally, something he did not take kindly.
"I wrote an article on how 90% of the people at Moi's rallies were actually school children," he narrated.
Once Moi got a hold of the newspaper, all hell broke lose.
His convoy was snaking towards Lumakanda for a rally, but he immediately ordered the vehicles to stop.
The visibly infuriated president stepped out of the vehicle and barked out, "wapi hii mtu ya gazeti ya Nation" (where is this Nation journalist?)
From the moment Atemi raised his hand it was clear that the President was not in a talking mood, "wewe ndiye unayeandika porojo" Moi said as he hurled his famous rungu at him.
The puzzled writer had to duck for cover before melting into the crowed. An order for his arrest was made which forced him to flee to Bungoma.
From then on, Moi made sure Atemi sat by his side during rallies, from where he directed him on how to write about massive crowds at the rallies.
The veteran journalist, however, remained adamant; often reporting things as they were on the ground.
This little of crowds did not start yesterday, with many politicians considering huge numbers as an endorsement that adds to their political capital.
Just recently, a photo of President Uhuru Kenyatta during his recent tour of Nyeri County went viral after hawk-eyed Kenyans stirred debate over the nature of crowd. The picture apparently showed a section of the crowd appearing disinterested and withdrawn. The picture was a subject of debate on social media with many giving varied interpretations.
Deputy President William Ruto and his rival Raila Odinga are known for sharing photos taken at their rallies most of them capturing the mammoth crowds.
