German envoy gifts gardener chicken for retirement after promising Mercedes and BMW
By Luke Oluoch, August 29, 2025The German ambassador to Kenya, Sebastian Groth, has gifted Kenyan gardener Hesbon Imbwaka with chickens, a month after joking that the worker would get a BMW and Mercedes-Benz as a send-off for his dedicated service at the embassy.
In a statement shared via his X page on Friday, August 29, 2025, Groth confirmed that it was Hesbon’s final day at the embassy. As his send-off gift, the envoy had five chickens and a sack of chicken mash food for the worker.
According to Groth, Imbakwa had elected to take home the poultry to venture into poultry farming.
/X.
“Hey guys – I noticed that you followed the retirement of our chief gardener, Hesbon, with big interest. Today was his very last day. Wanted to hand him over the 68 machines. He opted for some kuku instead to start off a poultry farm. “That’s the real Luhya-spirit,” he wrote on X.
German machines
The send-off for Imbakwa comes after Groth had jokingly stated that the casual worker would be gifted a vehicle following his service to the embassy.
Groth took to X on August 1, 2025, to announce Imbwaka’s impending retirement while congratulating him for his excellent service during the duration of his 34-year service at the embassy. The news aroused interest among netizens, who probed further on whether the embassy had plans for an elaborate send-off for his dedicated service and longevity.
Groth responded that Imbakwa would get one Mercedes and one BMW for every year of his service.
BMW and Mercedes
“He’ll get 1 Mercedes and 1 BMW for every year in service. His very last day as a gardener is the end of August—so we still have some time to think about something nice. But thanks for asking,” he stated on X while confirming the impending retirement.
Further, Gorth revealed that they were thinking of something dignified to send off the worker ahead of his retirement at the end of August, which, as per the recent development, appears to be the chicken.