Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has called on President William Ruto to fire Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi over an alleged fuel scandal.
In a statement on Saturday, April 4, Khalwale accused the Energy CS of failing in his core mandate, which includes developing, implementing, reviewing, and enforcing policies within the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
The Kakamega Senator emphasized that the CS, as the head of the ministry, reports directly to the President and bears ultimate responsibility for its operations.
“CS Opiyo Wandayi’s core responsibility is to develop, implement, review, and enforce policies in the Ministry of Energy & Petroleum. He is the leader, reporting directly to the President.
“He knew or ought to have known the diversion of condemned fuel worth Sh 4billion, by those 3 thieves, into the Kenyan market,” said Khalwale.
The Senator argued that if CS Wandayi was aware of the scheme, he should be arrested and held criminally liable.
“If he knew, he must be arrested immediately for criminal culpability. If he didn’t know, he must immediately take political responsibility and resign or be sacked for gross incompetence,” he stated.
Khalwale further warned that if President Ruto fails to take action against Wandayi, then the National Assembly should step in and exercise its constitutional mandate to impeach the CS.
“If the President fails to sack him because of the shenanigans of the broad-based government, the National Assembly must then exercise its constitutional mandate and impeach him,” Khalwale added.
This comes after President Ruto officially received the resignations of three senior officials linked to the substandard fuel scandal.
State House Chief of Staff Felix Koskei, in a communication on Saturday, announced that President Ruto had received the resignation of Mohamed Liban, who served as Principal Secretary in the State Department for Petroleum.
The notice further indicated that the Board of the Kenya Pipeline Company PLC (KPC) had accepted the resignation of Joe Sang as Managing Director, and the Board of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) acknowledged the resignation of Daniel Kiptoo as Director General.
The three former officials were arrested on Thursday, April 2 night and were detained at the Gigiri Police Station in Nairobi.
