Tourism Cabinet Secretary (CS) Rebecca Miano has become the centre of a lively social media debate after she claimed to have communicated with giraffes during a working tour at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha.
In a light-hearted post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, August 23, 2024, Miano shared that she introduced herself to the giraffes before striking up a conversation with them.
Like Biblical Balaam who spoke to a donkey (Numbers 22: 1-40), the CS said she informed the giraffes of the influx of tourists they should expect in the coming days.
“As part of my working tour at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute in Naivasha, I took a walk to introduce myself to the Giraffes. I asked them to expect many tourists in days to come. Giraffes make Kenya magical,” Miana wrote on X.
Her remarks quickly went viral, sparking a mix of humour and criticism from Kenyans online.
Some questioned the seriousness of her comment, while others expressed disbelief at the statement.
One user, @MrJemedari, sarcastically asked, “Are you medically insane?” while another, @_Nana_Kc, inquired, “And what did the giraffes answer back?”
Others, like @ManlyMan_Ke, criticized the state of leadership with comments such as, “The incompetence levels are so high. No one seems to have the lightest clue. As in, NO single one of y’all?”
Cabinet posts
Miano’s post comes just a month after her appointment as Tourism CS in the current Cabinet.
She was appointed to her current docket after President William Ruto dissolved his first Cabinet on July 11, 2024, a move aimed at forming a broad-based government following anti-government protests.
Miano previously held the position of Cabinet Secretary for the East African Community before she was moved to the Trade docket in 2023 where she served until the Cabinet was dissolved.
The Tourism CS was also the first female Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), a role she served for five years.
She is also a member of the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) and has served on the Finance Committee of the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK).
Miano has also served as a council member of the World Bank Group’s Advisory Council on Gender and Development.
Her newfound ability to communicate with giraffes adds an unexpected and amusing line to her already impressive CV.
During her vetting by the National Assembly’s Committee on Appointment on August 3, 2024, she said that her net worth was Ksh444 million.
