Day Jomo promised Sh60,000 the State could not raise

Jomo Kenyatta dances with Kericho Headquarters Primary School pupils during his tour of Lake Nakuru on June 23, 1978. [File, Standard]

It is the season of promises. All manner of things are being promised by politicians who treat government funds as a never-ending pool of resources.

Some promises are well-meaning although not anchored in any law or supported by budgetary allocations while others are outright ridiculous.

This season of empty promises brings back memories of a day when Mzee Jomo Kenyatta ignited a crisis in his government by sneaking out of Nairobi into Rift Valley and promised what even the Treasury couldn’t fulfill. This left top civil servants in the Treasury and Education ministries scratching their heads.