DP Gachagua Throws Ruto Under The Bus After Playing Criticizing Clips During Impeachment Hearing
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has defended himself against being removed from office.
He implied that one of the grounds on which the impeachment motion was filed in Parliament was unfair because he was simply following in the footsteps of his boss, President William Ruto.
Gachagua spoke on the House floor in response to perceived sensational statements he made about National Intelligence Service (NIS) Director General Noordin Haji during the peak of Gen Z-led protests against the now-withdrawn Finance Bill, 2024.
The DP, addressing the press in Mombasa on June 26, 2024, called for Haji’s resignation, accusing him of overseeing what he described as a decline in the agency’s effectiveness under his wrap.
Gachagua lamented that since Haji succeeded Major General (Rtd) Philip Wachira Kameru in June 2023, the NIS has become dysfunctional, failing to adequately assess public sentiment, particularly on the Finance Bill, 2024.
“I sympathise with President Ruto because this information was not available to him. NIS is mandated to provide such information and that is where the problem is; we have a dysfunctional NIS that has exposed the President, the government and the people of Kenya,” Gachagua said then.
BREAKING: DP Gachagua calls for the resignation of Noordin Haji, the Director General of the National Intelligence Service
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 26, 2024
"He must take responsibility for the deaths that occurred and the mayhem caused. He must allow Ruto to pick a competent DG and get sanity back to the NIS" pic.twitter.com/7DJUiOp84Q
“Noordin Haji must take responsibility for the deaths that have occurred, the mayhem witnessed and for failing Ruto, the government and Kenya by not doing his job and advising correctly. He must not just take responsibility but resign from that office and allow the president to pick a competent DG.”
When confronted with the remarks in the impeachment motion, Gachagua attempted to clear his name by making a checkmate move and invoking President Ruto’s.
He reiterated the then-controversial remarks, claiming that even Ruto has never shied away from criticizing government officials who do not effectively perform their duties.
Despite this, he has never been impeached, either as DP or as Head of State.
The DP’s comments appeared to be a subtle implication that whatever is good for the goose must surely be good for the gander.
“When the country was caught flat-footed with regard to the scope and extent of public’s dissatisfaction with the Finance Bill 2024 which degenerated in the Gen Z protests, it pointed to the failure of the National Intelligence Service in carrying out its mandate,” he told Members of Parliament on Tuesday.
DP Gachagua: The security sector was caught off-guard by the intensity of the protests and agitation of Kenyans. Had Noordin Haji done his job, we would not be where we are today; he has no capacity as Director General of the National Intelligence Service pic.twitter.com/UBpgDbG8dU
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) June 26, 2024
“I am persuaded that the National intelligence Service ought to have known beforehand, that the public was completely opposed to the Finance Bill and they ought to have briefed the President before the protests began.”
Gachagua continued: “This would have caused a change of tact by the Government regarding the proposed bill and the protests which culminated in the loss of innocent lives and destruction of property could have been avoided.”
The DP went on to play a Citizen TV news feature from August 2023 in which President Ruto read the riot act to Cabinet Secretaries and Principal Secretaries he believed were unaware of their dockets.
In the video, President Ruto also lectured his senior government officials for being late in signing performance contracts and demanded a written explanation.
ALSO READ:
- “Ruto’s Directive Saved Fuel Prices!” – Wandayi Claims Despite Public Outcry
- Ruto CSs Make Flurry Of Appointments As Attorney General Picks Governor Kilonzo
- Outrage After 25-Year-Old Man Dies In Police Custody
- ODM’s Oburu Responds To Reports Of Suspending Coalition Talks With UDA
- “Don’t Attack Public Infrastructure!” – IG Kanja Asks Kenyans, Issues Orders To Police
“I am aware that the Kenya Kwanza Government has been on the forefront calling out officers who do not seem to understand their work,” Gachagua said.
“Recently, my boss, the President, publicly complained that there are some PSs and CSs who did not seem to understand their roles.”
The DP then played two more clips of Ruto, who was Deputy President in the previous government, condemning senior security officials such as former Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and ex-Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) George Kinoti.
DP Rigathi Gachagua: Rigathi Gachagua has learned his job from his boss that public officers must be called to order when they fall short of expectations. I never saw anybody bring William Ruto here for impeachment or criticizing the IG or the DCI. This is a very unfair… pic.twitter.com/y7NaJMorSf
— Citizen TV Kenya (@citizentvkenya) October 8, 2024
“Rigathi Gachagua has learnt his job from his boss, that public officers must be called to order when they fall short of expectations, and I never saw anybody bringing William Ruto here for impeachment for criticizing the IG or the DCI. This is a very unfair allegation,” Gachagua concluded.
DP Gachagua Throws Ruto Under The Bus After Playing Criticizing Clips During Impeachment Hearing
