Former Trade CAS David Osiany has revealed how some Kenyan government officers allegedly attempted to humiliate and sideline him during a 2021 state visit to Tanzania attended by then President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a detailed social media account, Osiany described the experience as his first direct encounter with diplomatic and political intrigues while serving in government.
Osiany had arrived in Dar es Salaam from Arusha, where he was officiating Kenya Day at the East African Community SME Expo, and was scheduled to be part of the official Kenyan delegation.
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According to Osiany, confusion emerged early after he failed to get clear guidance from Kenyan protocol officers on the programme for the national celebrations.
After unsuccessfully trying to reach an assigned officer, he opted to take a cab to the stadium to avoid arriving after the President, a move he says was necessary to prevent diplomatic embarrassment.
Once inside the venue, Osiany claims Kenyan protocol officers informed him that he had no allocated seat on the VIP podium, despite being introduced as a deputy minister from Kenya.
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He said requests for alternative seating were firmly rejected in what he interpreted as a deliberate attempt to embarrass him in a foreign country.
Osiany linked the hostility to political mistrust within government at the time, noting that he and then Defence CAS Odoyo were viewed suspiciously for being perceived allies of opposition leader Raila Odinga.
He further alleged that there were plans to have him quietly removed from the following day’s bilateral meeting at State House in Dar es Salaam.
The situation changed after Osiany contacted a senior Tanzanian official, leading to the intervention of then Tanzanian Minister Jenista Mhagama, who chaired the Uhuru celebrations on behalf of President Samia Suluhu.
Mhagama personally arranged for Osiany to be seated with Tanzanian cabinet ministers, including Trade Minister Kitila Mkumbo.
Ironically, Osiany ended up seated close to President Kenyatta during the televised event, while members of the Kenyan delegation who had allegedly blocked him were placed elsewhere.
He later claimed that despite his name being removed from the official State House access list the next day, he was received in the VVIP holding room and seated prominently during bilateral talks.
Osiany said he shared the story to appreciate Minister Mhagama for restoring his dignity and shielding him from humiliation, describing the episode as a lesson on power, politics, and resilience within diplomatic spaces.