This archive report was first published on 8 August 2020.
Uhuru Kenyatta Teases Narok Governor Samuel Tunai During Zoom Call ¶
On August 8, 2020, President Uhuru Kenyatta held a Zoom call with Narok Governor Samuel Tunai, CS Najib Balala, and Marathon champion Eliud Kipchoge, which was streamed live on YouTube.
During the call, President Kenyatta was at State House while the rest were at the Maasai Mara preparing for an event with Kipchoge, who was recently named the Magical Kenya destination ambassador.
CS Najib Balala told the head of state that the marathon legend would run 13km around the Mara and would be broadcasted live. Kipchoge was preparing to defend his world record at the London Marathon on October 4.
President Kenyatta jokingly teased Governor Tunai, saying, "I've heard Balala and my friend Tunai talk about the animals; leopards, lions, and cheetahs. For me, I'm not worried about Eliud, he'll be able to escape. Tunai and Balala, you have a problem."
Later, Balala introduced the head of state to the team helping plan the event. In a conversation with Lt. Gen (Rtd) Jackson Tuwei, the president of Athletics Kenya, Uhuru charged him with ensuring Governor Tunai and the CS were safe.
President Kenyatta reiterated that the Narok governor should take the challenge to join the running team seriously. The event was planned to promote both local and international tourism following the reopening of Kenyan skies.
The president allocated Ksh1 billion to the Maasai Mara Game Reserve to improve conservation efforts. CS Najib Balala assured Uhuru that the game rangers would receive directly on their mobile phones and not through third parties.
