Revealed: Why President Uhuru’s Motorcade Had an Upside Down Number Plate

Majira M March 16, 2020March 16, 2022

The president arrived at Harambee House on Sunday and alighted from a vehicle with inverted number plate.
This got many Kenyans by surprise and many took to social media to ponder on the incident.Some took advantage of the display to criticize the government on how it handles issues.
However some Kenyans would emerge with theories that inversion of number plates is common scenario among heads of state.
A senior government official would later clarify that the inversion of the number plate was a mistake.

On Sunday at around 5:30 pm, President Uhuru Kenyatta made his way to Harambee House for a press briefing on the state of coronavirus situation in the country. In what shocked many,the president’s car had its number plate fixed upside down. The president’s car did not have its usually flag and there was no guard stand behind him as protocol dictates.

This got many Kenyans by surprise and many took to social media to ponder on the incident. To same it was a wreck less mistake that someone had to account for but to others it was symbolic.

Some took advantage of the display to criticize the government on how it handles issues, they would compare the incident to the state of affairs in current regime.

However some Kenyans would emerge with theories that inversion of number plates is common scenario among heads of state

“There are two instances that would warrant the head of state to drive in a vehicle with inverted number plates. One is when the official Presidential Vehicle is not flying the national flag . The second reason is to indicate a standard procedure that the head of state is not carrying good news for the citizens.” One statement claimed.

However according to a senior government official who spoke to Nairobi News on condition of anonymity said the number plate was inverted by mistake.

“There is nowhere in the military protocol code where the inverted number plate has been discussed. The incident was a mistake and that is why it was rectified immediately they noticed.”

The source also added that if in deed it was protocol then even the back number plate could have been inverted to match the front.

At the time when these incidences occurred President Kenyatta was going to announce news on coronavirus cases that had risen. In the address the president also announced radical measures that the state was taking to minimize the spread of the virus.

The president announced closure of all learning institutions in the country. Travels outside the country were banned and visitors coming in were asked to self quarantine.

The number of Coronavirus has risen to three, Kenya became the first country from East Africa to have a confirmed case.