For a brief period in the 1980s, Eric Awori became one of the most talked-about men in Kenya after making a claim that sounded almost impossible: he could drive a car for hundreds of kilometres while travelling in reverse.
Awori's story captured public imagination at a time when sensational stories could spread rapidly through newspapers, radio and word of mouth.
His alleged ability was presented as an extraordinary motoring feat, with reports claiming that he had mastered the skill well enough to undertake long-distance journeys on Kenyan roads.
His alleged ability was presented as an extraordinary motoring feat, with reports claiming that he had mastered the skill well enough to undertake long-distance journeys on Kenyan roads.
Among the most remarkable claims associated with Awori was that he had driven in reverse from Mombasa to Nairobi. The journey, covering hundreds of kilometres along one of Kenya's busiest highways, would have required extraordinary concentration and vehicle control.
But the story did not stop there.
Awori reportedly attracted corporate support for his supposed record-breaking ambitions. Westlands Motors was said to have provided him with a Toyota Corolla, while his exploits attracted publicity and public recognition.
His claims eventually grew even more ambitious.
Awori was reported to have planned a reverse-driving journey involving a seven-tonne Mercedes-Benz lorry from Mombasa to Nairobi. The vehicle was reportedly to carry building materials intended for a charitable project.
The supposed attempt generated considerable interest. Reports said Awori was publicly flagged off in Mombasa, while updates about his progress were circulated to newsrooms. The apparent involvement of companies, public officials and the media made the story appear credible.
Then came an even bigger claim.
Awori reportedly told Kenyans that he had travelled to New Zealand, where he had participated in an international reverse-driving competition. Accounts of the alleged competition claimed that he had defeated drivers from several countries.
The story was extraordinary enough to attract international attention.
However, the New Zealand claim became the point at which the carefully constructed narrative began to unravel.
Questions emerged over whether the competition had actually taken place. The New Zealand authorities reportedly found no evidence of the event Awori had described. There were also questions about his alleged journey to the country and the evidence supposedly supporting his victory.
Investigations eventually revealed that the international competition had not happened as claimed and that Awori had not travelled to New Zealand.
The earlier reverse-driving exploits also came under scrutiny.
What had appeared to be a remarkable record-breaking career was increasingly exposed as an elaborate deception. Reports indicated that some of the supposed updates about his movements had been generated from Nairobi rather than transmitted from the locations where Awori claimed to be.
The revelation became one of Kenya's most memorable examples of a media hoax.
The embarrassment extended beyond Awori himself. His claims had attracted attention from newspapers, businesses and members of the public, demonstrating how a spectacular story could gain credibility when surrounded by apparent institutional support.
Awori's story eventually moved from entertainment to the courtroom, with reports indicating that he was arrested and charged in connection with the deception.
Yet decades later, the tale remains fascinating because of the sheer audacity of the claims.
The question was not simply whether a man could drive hundreds of kilometres in reverse. It was how one individual managed to convince so many people that he had done it.
Long before social media, smartphones and instant online fact-checking, Awori's story exposed a vulnerability that remains relevant today: extraordinary claims can become accepted as fact when they are repeatedly reported without sufficient verification.
Eric Awori never became the international reverse-driving champion he claimed to be.
Instead, he became famous for something very different — orchestrating one of Kenya's most extraordinary motoring hoaxes and proving just how far a sensational story could travel before the truth caught up with it.