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How newspaper’s goof turned one man’s joy into nightmare – VIDEO

By Amina Wako January 17th, 2020 2 min read

It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.

On Wednesday January 15, Enosh Momanyi when to bed a happy man. Hours earlier, he had addressed the nation after “learning that he had been appointed as a Principal Secretary by President Uhuru Kenyatta”.

That joy, however, fast turned into a nightmare after it emerged that his picture and name were erroneously used by Standard Newspaper. It was his namesake who had been handed the plum position.

So how did it all start? On Tuesday, President Kenyatta reshuffled his cabinet bringing in a few new faces.

Among the new faces was Enosh Momanyi Onyango who was nominated as PS Physical Planning. The Standard Newspaper shared the pictures on the nominees on the Wednesday paper.

HITCH

But there was a hitch. The newspaper published the picture of the wrong Enosh. In a video that has since gone viral, the 29-year-old clearly overwhelmed by emotions following the “news of his appointment” of which he says was informed by friends and family members after seeing his picture of the local daily, prepared an acceptance speech thanking the president for the appointment.

He thanked Mr Kenyatta for ensuring that the youth were well represented in his government and looked forward to serving the people of Kenya.

“Good evening fellow Kenyans, my name is Enosh Momanyi, I am 29 years old from Webuye West Constituency, Bungoma County. Today has been a good day waking up in the morning to calls and texts from people I know and those I don’t know congratulating me for my appointment by the president to the position of the PS for Physical Planning,” he said.

“Actually I learned this through The Standard newspaper dated January 15, 2020, over the aforementioned appointment I wish to thank his excellency for believing in youth. My desire is to align my responsibilities with Uhuru’s Big 4 Agenda,” he added.

“As I conclude, I also wish to thank all Kenyans and I look forward to being a servant to all of you. Thank you,’ read his speech.

The Standard has since published an apology and shared the image of the correct Momanyi who was appointed by the president.