It all started by one Ahmed Mohamed (@Asmali77) sharing on Twitter that the Central Bank Governor Patrick Njoroge looks alike to Cellou Dalein Diallo, the former Prime Minister of Guinea.
We should perhaps ask our @CBKKenya Governor @njorogep if he’s related to Cellou Dalein Diallo former PM of Guinea, who has declared that he is the winner of the this week’s presidential elections. Or Doppelgänger maybe? pic.twitter.com/YydYsZIZUx
— Ahmed Mohamed ((ASMALi)) (@Asmali77) October 20, 2020
Asmali77 shared it 3 days ago and it caught the attention of the Governor today. The top banker denied they looked alike and went on to post a thread of one of the most interesting story about another doppelganger; cousin of his.
Naah… We look alike from far, but far from alike, e.g., check the ears. But I am surprised you didn’t also mention Rwanda’s central bank Governor—we can trade places & few will notice. I also look very much like one of my cousins. And there was that incident in 2015.
I was a few months into this job, with stories swirling around about my personal affairs and lifestyle, and much speculation to boot. On this particular day my cousin had some business to conduct in Nairobi’s CBD. He parked his car in the Ngara area and caught a matatu into town.
The mat was full, but he decided to be a “standing passenger” for the short journey. He forgot that the police had recently begun dealing aggressively with “standing passengers” and as fate would have it, they were nabbed a few moments later.
Suffices to say that a group of these offenders formed quickly, and were a sorry sight as they were bundled into a mariamu, handcuffed in pairs. My cousin did not utter a word of protest and was completely compliant. Others protested loudly, in vain as the police meant business.
The mariamu brought the unhappy lot to a police station (I don’t remember which) where they disembarked untidily in full view of the OCS, who undoubtedly was surveying the catch. Suddenly his eyes fixed on my cousin, for several long seconds, his mind searching for something.
Just as suddenly he shouted at the officers, “Huyu mumemtoa wapi?” (Where did you get him?) and without waiting for an answer he ordered them, “Mpeleke sasa kule mlimtoa!” (Take him back where you got him). My cousin was going scot-free courtesy of OCS, without uttering a word!
There was pandemonium as the other handcuffed men sensed that my cousin had some hidden power and appealed to him, “Please don’t leave us behind, after all we were arrested with you.” My cousin, took all this in stride, walking away casually as if it was all preordained.
In the end, the officers got another vehicle and were now ordered to take him wherever he wanted to go. And that is what happened—my cousin showed up at his CBD appointment in a police car! He says the officers were very courteous.
This incident has been dissected a million times at family gatherings. Everyone agrees that it was a case of mistaken identity. Neither I nor my cousin want to push the matter any further and the rest is weaved in the family’s folklore. Please cue in “One” by Mary J. Blige & U2.
Kenyans on Twitter had this to say.
LoL…. @JMakamba I finally found a leader that writes captivating pieces like you do. 😊
— Debora Shija (@ShijaChongs) October 24, 2020
Funny story…I see what you did to the OCS there, selective amnesia either to protect or avoid maneno mingi…write a book Governor!
— Kirimmy Timothey (@kirimitim) October 24, 2020
Wow… This was quite a kauzi (thread). Gav, keep up with your works of piety….
Your dedication to human good and word of God is spoken in many homes (especially Catholic ones), but I digress.— Eh Nygma (@EhNygma) October 24, 2020
