Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi was on Thursday caught in a light-hearted moment after a university student gifted him a wristwatch worth about Sh16,000 before jokingly asking for lower fuel prices in return.
The humorous exchange happened during a public engagement forum attended by students and government officials, where the student, who introduced himself as George Wise, said he was the incoming president of Kenyatta University.
Addressing the CS, the student first raised concerns about public discussions surrounding the Finance Bill, saying many Kenyans were focusing on taxation without discussing how government spending is authorised.
“When I was going through the Finance Bill, I noticed one thing. Most people are just talking about how the tax is going to be collected, but they are failing to talk about what authorises how that tax is to be spent,” he said.
Mbadi briefly interrupted him to clarify, asking: “Are you talking about the Appropriation Bill?”
The student then shifted the room into laughter after narrating how he bought a watch during his internship in Johannesburg, at a cost of 1,972 rands, linking the figure to Mbadi’s birth year.
“I noticed also that you were born in 1972,” he said, prompting laughter from the audience.
Wise, who described himself as a student of medical biochemistry, cited Proverbs 11:25 before offering the watch to the CS as a gift.
“Being that the book of Proverbs chapter 11 verse 25 talks of people shall inherit favour, I would like to give this to you,” he said.
Before returning to his seat, the student jokingly added: “Tutashukuru hiyo fuel kidogo,” drawing louder laughter from the crowd amid recent concerns over rising fuel prices.
Mbadi, visibly amused by the interaction, responded jokingly as the audience laughed along.
The student then walked to the front and personally helped the CS wear the wristwatch, turning the formal public engagement into a moment of humour and applause.
The interaction comes at a time when fuel prices and taxation remain among the most debated economic issues in the country following the latest fuel price review by the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority.
