POLITICS: Ruto’s Close Allies Gang Up Against Gachagua Over CJ Koome Remarks
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has criticized former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for his remarks on Sunday regarding the removal of Chief Justice Martha Koome from office.
During a church service on Sunday, February 23, at St. Mary’s Emining Catholic Church in Mogotio, the CS chastised the former DP, naming him a tribalist and emphasizing that such people should be avoided.
According to Murkomen, judicial officials are evaluated primarily on their ability to manage the Judiciary, not on tribal affiliation.
The CS stated that President William Ruto will neither engage in or tolerate any tribal-related statements.
“Other people are saying that they are defending the Judiciary through their tribe,” he said.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen says security has been deployed along the Kenya-Ethiopia border after an attack in Todonyang, Turkana by suspected Dassanech militia from Ethiopia.
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) February 23, 2025
"The Inspector General and our police have responded very well from yesterday up to now. There are… pic.twitter.com/jEo4zB3QvT
“If a judge is being defended to remain in office because of his tribe, that is a very serious problem in the country. I thought every judge is there by virtue of competence and capacity to lead the judiciary.”
“His Excellency the president is a nationalist and he is not going to get into these conversations of shareholding here and there,” he added.
Speaking at the same event, Mogotio Member of Parliament Reuben Kiborek stated that the President has no intention of removing the Chief Justice, emphasizing that her position as superior judge is not political.
Kiborek further claimed that Gachagua’s decision to defend Koome was part of a plan to ensure that the Supreme Court ruled in his favour.
“You are pretending to be supporting CJ Koome with a clear intention that you have a case before the court, and you know that case will end in the Supreme Court in the hands of the CJ,” he stated.
“So pretending that you are defending Koome is to try and influence the case. That amounts to corruption.”
In response to Gachagua’s statements, Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale advised the former DP to stop insulting the president and to wait until 2027 to carry out his political agenda.
Speaking in Garissa, Duale highlighted that the President and his Deputy, Kithure Kindiki, have the authority to engage with people from all over the nation and should not be prohibited from doing so.
Environment CS Aden Duale condemns ex-DP Rigathi Gachagua's comments suggesting that President Ruto is planning the removal of CJ Martha Koome
— City Mirror (@citymirrorKE) February 24, 2025
"Put your party together, work on the unity of Kenya. I know you are a very bitter man but the President has an agenda, has a contract… pic.twitter.com/FbGg7sHoa5
“To my former friend and Deputy President, don’t become pedestrian, when you take the mic, you are in charge and you should tell the truth,” he said.
“Leave the President alone, wait for your time in 2027, and have an agenda for the people of Kenya.”
Raymond Omollo, Principal Secretary of the State Department for Internal Security, advised government officials, whatever of affiliation, to carry out their responsibilities with diligence and integrity to ensure that every citizen benefits from their efforts.
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The views came after the former DP pledged to lead protests if Chief Justice Martha Koome was removed from office, claiming it was an attempt by President William Ruto to limit political influence in the Mount Kenya Region.
The former DP was keenly interested in Koome’s plight, as the Chief Justice is currently immersed in a contentious legal battle to retain her seat in the judiciary.
Rigathi Gachagua to President Ruto: Ukifukuza Martha Koome, usikanyage hapa Meru tena pic.twitter.com/HvG5zuxSby
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) February 23, 2025
“We know he is planning to impeach Koome. This is too much now. How do you purge the leadership of an entire community that made you president?” he said.
“If Koome is dismissed and I call for protests, will you come out? We are not going to sit again as Ruto destroys the leadership of Mount Kenya,” he added.
POLITICS: Ruto’s Close Allies Gang Up Against Gachagua Over CJ Koome Remarks
