Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria said he now regrets giving comedian Eric Omondi a fully paid visit to the United States.
CS Kuria made the remarks during an interview with Citizen TV on Wednesday evening, June 7, in a debate on the Finance Bill 2023 featuring leaders, experts and ordinary citizens.
Eric criticised the government’s plan to implement the 3% housing levy, saying that Kenyans were in greater need of food than housing.
He called out the Kenya Kwanza government for promising to lower the cost of living yet it remained high months after clinching power.
He challenged the government leaders to focus of addressing the cost of living instead of adding more taxes and deductions to the little money Kenyans take home.
In a rebuttal later in the show, CS Kuria recalled a time when he took Eric Omondi on an all-expenses paid trip to the U.S.
He said that the trip was supposed to open the comedian’s eyes and give him exposure to the world, but that seems not to have worked since he was opposed to the proposals contained in the Finance Bill 2023.
Kuria said travelling to many parts of the world have given him a much border perspective unlike Eric Omondi.
“Here in Belarus where I am, has a population of 9 million people and export food worth $8 million (Sh1.1 trillion). In Kenya we import food worth $4 billion (Sh556 billion). A country with 9 million people can feed other countries because they took bold steps,“ he said, adding that Kenya should compare itself with other successful countries.
“Nimeskia Eric Omondi ambaye amesema yeye ni kijana na miaka saba iliyopita nilichukua pesa yangu nikampeleka America ndio aone vile dunia iko na saa hii vile anaongea afadhali ningetumia hiyo pesa kwa sherehe sababu sioni kama kuna kitu alisoma” Kuria spoke.
CS Kuria's remarks translate to (I have heard Eric Omondi who is claiming he is a youth. Seven years ago I used my own money to take him to America to expose him and right now according to the way he is talking, I wished I used that money to party because it doesn’t seem like he learned anything from it).
Watch clips of the interview below
Eric Omondi on how Moses Kuria secretly helped his career
In a past interview with this writer, Eric Omondi had admitted that he and Vincent Mwasia, alias Chipukeezy were beneficiaries of CS Kuria’s generosity around 2017/2018.
At the time the the CS was planning to launch his TV station by inviting U.S comedian and media personality Trevor Noah to perform in the country, so he asked Eric Omondi and Chipukeezy to travel ahead and establish contact and paid for their travel and accommodation for five days.
Safe to say the efforts to get Trevor Noah to perform in Kenya did not bear fruit.
Omondi also had a show in Las Vegas where Kuria also joined them, before heading to Dubai and leaving them to continue the U.S visit.
The trip gave Chipukeezy the courage he needed to leave Kiss 100 and focus on his growing comedy career which earned him more money than his employer at the time.