Kalonzo's wife “smuggled” him out of building surrounded by striking teachers

Kalonzo Musyoka was “smuggled out” of Jogoo House when he was Education minister by his wife when the building was ringed by striking teachers.

The teachers, led by their leaders Ambrose Adongo and John Katumanga, had gone on strike in 1998 to demand more pay and allowances.

When negotiations to end the strike failed, they surrounded Jogoo House and vowed not to leave until the minister talks to them.

Mr Musyoka writes: ‘’At one point during the strike, hundreds of teachers had picketed the entire Harambee Avenue, outside the ministry. They inspected each and every vehicle entering and leaving Jogoo House demanding to talk to “the minister with a baby face”.

I called my wife, Pauline (left), and told her, “I think I will be sleeping here today. These people won’t relent until I have talked to them.” She suggested that she picks me up since they did not know her. She drove to Jogoo House in our family vehicle. The teachers were not letting any vehicle with government registration through. She asked me to sit in the back seat and have my official car follow us at a distance. No one noticed.

They scrambled to block the official vehicle as we slid by

He says the strike ended when a group of elders, led by his mentor Mulu Mutisya, managed to convince the union officials to end it.

“He (Mulu) later took Knut officials who included secretary general Adongo and chairman Katumanga to State House, Nairobi, at night to meet Moi and the strike was called off the following day.”