Joho, Kabogo Under Fire for Snacking During Ruto’s UNGA Meeting

A Kenyan delegation attending the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, the United States, found themselves on the receiving end after a video emerged showing them snacking during the meeting.
The delegation includedPrime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, Health CS Aden Duale, Lands CS Alice Wahome, Mining CS Hassan Joho, and ICT’s William Kabogo.
In the widely circulated footage, the senior government officials were captured munching whenAfrica’s push for a permanent seat at the high-level forumwas under discussion.
They could be seen cracking what appeared to be peanuts and popping them into their mouths as President William Ruto addressed the forum.
The clip sparked mixed reactions among online users, while some were amused by the light-hearted moment, others slammed the leaders over improper conduct during the event.
Some accused the leaders ofpainting the country in a bad lightat the international event, while others argued that the leaders were simply portraying their real selves.
“That’s actually poetic. I’m sure they have no idea what’s really going on over there, not even Prime CS Mudavadi, who appears to be attentive,” commented one online user.
“Nothing screams ‘Kenya means business’ like Ruto’s squad turning a global podium into a snack table,” another claimed.
This comes barely two years after President Ruto called for etiquette training for government officials, particularly among leaders of his Kenya Kwanza coalition, to improve their conduct in public.
Addressing Kenya Kwanza leaders in September 2022, the Head of State said it was essential for leaders to learn dining civility to avoid embarrassment.
Ruto noted that the government would convene a meeting where leaders would be taught table manners and general public behaviour, both in public and private meetings.
“We are going to have a session to show you a bit of etiquette. We want to show you what to do because sometimes we get embarrassed when some leaders do not even know how to hold a spoon,” Ruto said.