Meru County has produced a second ‘James Bond’ after a man clung to the bottom of a chopper carrying Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya.
The CS had just finished addressing the residents of Meru at Kiegoi market on Wednesday when the ‘James Bond’ moment happened.
Munya was in the helicopter alongside Eala MP Mpuru Aburi when the unidentified man clambered onto the chopper’s landing skids.
In a viral video, anxious onlookers can be heard screaming and waving at the pilot to descend. The man is seen sitting comfortably on the landing skids as the chopper hovers about 20 ft above the ground.
Waves Goodbye
The man even manages to wave his goodbyes to the cheering crowd before the pilot descends low enough, allowing him to disembark safely.
He is then seen taking off from the scene with the police hot on his heels. A voice from a public address system can be heard shouting to let the man go.
“Police were baying for his blood and he feared that he was going to be beaten,” said Joseph Kubai, a resident.
Igembe South police boss Mr Hussein Ali confirmed that they let the man go saying he appeared to be out of his mind.
“We did not hold him because we suspected he might cause trouble in the cells, so we let him go,” said Ali.
Cases of men hanging onto choppers as they take off are of course not new to Kenyans. They are especially prevalent during the electioneering period when politicians are on the campaign trail.
The dangerous stunt has earned such daredevils the nickname ‘James Bond’.
There was the ‘Bungoma James Bond’, the now-deceased Saleh Wanjala. In May 2016, he hung on a chopper that was ferrying the body of Jacob Juma.
Then in January the following year, Meru produced its first James Bond, Julius Mwithalii. The then 28-year-old hung on a chopper carrying Raila Odinga in a desperate attempt to get a job from the politician.
Mwithalii was later charged with attempted suicide before Raila intervened. The ODM leader is said to have offered him and his three brothers jobs.
Here’s another video angle of the second Meru James Bond in action.
