Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has lashed out at Deputy President William Ruto for his silence after Tuesday’s sacking of Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali as the Majority Whip.
Echesa, who is a known DP Ruto ally from Western Kenya says the second in command was in a better position to save Washiali from the axe, but he never did.
“I am sure if Mr Ruto had pleaded with the President, Mr Washiali would have survived the axe,” Mr Echesa said.
Whilst Echesa noted that rumors dragged COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli and Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya into Washiali’s sacking, he says the duo were never at State House during the Jubilee party Parliamentary Group meeting, but Ruto was there.
He accuses Ruto of failing to raise a finger on the fate of Washiali.
“There has been talk about Mr Atwoli and Oparanya pushing for the changes, but I never saw them at State House. The person I saw was the Deputy President and unfortunately, he didn’t raise a finger on the fate of Mr Washiali”.
The former CS, who is facing criminal charges related to an arms procurement scam, spoke a day after the Jubilee Parliamentary Group meeting made changes to the majority leadership in the National Assembly.
While Majority Leader Aden Duale survived the purge, Mr Washiali and his deputy Cecily Mbarire were not lucky. Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe replaced Mr Washiali, while Igembe North MP Maoka Maore took over from Ms Mbarire.
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