A strange thing happened at Kisumu airport on Saturday when President Uhuru Kenyatta broke protocol and was driven without security to an undisclosed location in the company of Orange Democratic Movement leader Raila Odinga.
President Kenyatta was just about to depart Kisumu and was seeing off dignitaries.
Among those on the line were Mr Odinga, who had arrived in a helicopter ahead of the President to receive and bid him goodbye after the two attended Bruce Odhiambo’s burial.
Mr Kenyatta arrived moments after Mr Odinga’s arrival and briefly went to the VIP room as protocol officers lined up dignitaries to see him off.
When the President came out and greeted two people on the line, the third, Mr Odinga drew him aside after pausing as if he had forgotten something important.
Unknown to the rest of the people, Mr Odinga had organised a meeting that he had not yet informed the President about.
After the briefing, the President left with Mr Odinga and the Kisumu Deputy Governor Matthew Owili.
Already, traffic officers who were manning and clearing the roads had been dismissed and the President’s motorcade drove to Kisumu’s central business district without security outriders.
The road was not cleared for them and they patiently manoeuvred their way through the traffic to the undisclosed location.
All the while, the President’s jet remained parked on the runway with its engine running.