President Jomo Kenyatta, Dr. Christiaan Barnard and Col. Samuel Macharia:
Col. Samuel Macharia once served as President Jomo Kenyatta's Aide-de-Camp (ADC), during which time took place a humorous and memorable incident.
Jomo Kenyatta had a heart problem, which is one of the reasons Jomo loved spending big amounts of time at the Kenyan Coast i.e. zero metres above sea level, it is said, is good for people with heart problems.
Dr. Christiaan Barnard from South Africa, was a renowned Cardiac Surgeon of those times, who to his credit, conducted a successful heart transplant on a Kenyan girl at Kenyatta National Hospital in 1977, who grew into a fully grown woman, and who was still alive as at the year 2014 when she was featured in a two page article in the "Daily Nation."
Dr. Christiaan Barnard was once granted an audience by President Jomo Kenyatta, at which he tried to persuade Jomo to have a heart transplant to remedy his heart problem. Despite granting Dr. Barnard an audience out of politeness, Jomo knew in his heart that he was not going to have a heart transplant, or agree to one.
At one point though, President Jomo Kenyatta ventured to ask Dr. Barnard where "a spare heart" would come from anyway, and Dr. Barnard answered that it would come from "a donor."
"Really?," Jomo responded.
Jomo Kenyatta was aware that what Dr. Barnard meant by "a donor," were people who write a will that they would wish for their internal body organs, upon their demise, to be used for transplants or research in medicine.
Nevertheless, Jomo Kenyatta created humour and drama of the moment, after he was told by Dr. Barnard that a "spare heart" would come from "a donor," by pausing briefly, and then slowly turning around and looking at his Aide-de-Camp (ADC) Col. Samuel Macharia in the eye for about ten seconds.
It is said that Col. Macharia had a look of anxiety on his face, before Jomo laughed and said "Wacha kuogopa wewe Macharia" i.e. "Stop panicking Col. Macharia."
Those in the room, including Dr. Christiaan Barnard, bust out into laughter. Col. Samuel Macharia however only smiled very briefly while still standing at attention, because he was "still on duty."
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