Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir castigated Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for his remarks against the Director General of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) Noordin Haji following the anti-Finance Bill protests.
The governor said the remarks by the DP were unfortunate and uncalled for.
The DP accused Haji of failing in his duties to adequately advise the president on the Finance Bill 2024, which allegedly led to demonstrations across the country.
According to Gachagua, Haji’s intelligence reports could have prevented the widespread chaos and loss of lives witnessed on Tuesday June 25 and thus called for the DG to resign.
It has emerged intelligence reports on the sentiments on the bill had been shared among all parties since April, 2024.
All knew Kenyans did not want more taxes after those of last year on housing and medical but ignored the reports.
In a statement on Thursday, Nassir questioned why the DP sought to settle personal scores with Haji in public and did not seek to solve matters of security behind closed doors.
He reiterated that such utterances went against the oath that he took as Deputy President.
“It is deeply concerning that Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has chosen to publicly prosecute national security issues in the public domain, degenerating into personal attacks against Mr. Noordin Haji, the Director General of the National Intelligence Service, while absolving Mr. Japhet Koome, the Inspector General of Police, for the reckless manner in which our young people were handled by the police over the past week.”
“Kenyans watched in horror as young people were killed and others were abducted as they exercised their democratic rights,” he said.
Nassir also criticised Gachagua for failing to take up responsibility for the Finance Bill 2024 as the DP chairs all cabinet sub-committees and is privy to matters concerning the government.
He said the DP could not have failed to read the mood of the public who had decried over taxation by the current regime in the past months.
“These unbecoming utterances go against the solemn oath that Mr. Gachagua took.
It exposes our nation, the institution of the Presidency, and our security agencies to ridicule, ethnic division, and potential exploitation by our country’s enemies,” Nassir added.
“At a time when the young generation has lost faith in the direction the country is moving, such remarks only serve to fuel confusion and public anger.
It is regrettable that the Deputy President would casually discuss sensitive security matters in public instead of in the constitutional body – the National Security Council in which he is a member.”
Nassir reaffirmed that Gachagua’s choice to single out Haji for the protests was a weak attempt to create a political scapegoat for internal differences within his political formation.
“Mr. Gachagua cannot claim ignorance of the public mood regarding over-taxation when he was at the front leading this conversation until his recent political schism with his partners in the Kenya Kwanza Administration,” he added.
“Kenyans need leadership. If there is one thing that our young people have shown the world, it is that common purpose can transcend narrow ethnic balkanization.
We call upon the Deputy President to follow the lead of our young people and focus on issues rather than using this solemn moment in history to fight personal wars.”
Many have criticised the remarks by the DP. A group of leaders in Nairobi called on the DP to resign in the wake of his remarks.
“We believe he was sabotaging the government from within and the best thing he should do is to resign or we push for his removal.
They spoke in Nairobi. Another group calling themselves Inter Party Youth Forum too criticized Gachagua for attacking the NIS.
“He should leave office now. We do not see why he is still in office,” said a spokesman Henry Shitanda.
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