Barely a month after being sworn in Defence CS Aden Duale and his Water and Irrigation counterpart Alice Wahome have engaged themselves in politics by campaigning for their preferred candidates for by-elections in what smacks of doublespeak by the political class.
Duale in an interview with a local daily revealed that he wants Mohamed Barrow Dekow to succeed him as the next Garissa Town MP while adding that he will use his personal funds to campaign for him.
“I have represented this constituency for 20 years and I have to guide them in electing my successor. There is nothing unconstitutional about it. I will be there on the ground for two weeks starting December 20 to ensure they vote [for] the right person,” CS Duale said.
“The difference between me and the likes of [Dr] Matiang’i is that I am going to campaign on my own. Matiang’i was using state machinery, chiefs and assistant chiefs to campaign for Azimio presidential candidate,” he added.
In Kandara Constituency, Water, Sanitation and Irrigation CS Alice Wahome has been accused of trying to influence the election of her successor.
In the run-up to the August 9 elections, William Ruto waged war against former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s CSs, who were campaigning for the presidential candidate of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, Raila Odinga.
Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) sought the prosecution of then-Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru, James Macharia (Transport and Infrastructure), Eugene Wamalwa (Devolution), and Peter Munya of Agriculture for Constitutional violations.
“The Cabinet Secretaries and the Principal Secretary, being state officers, are in breach of Section 15 of the Election Offences Act, 2016, for using their offices to engage in active support of the Azimio coalition presidential candidate and for publicly indicating their support for their preferred candidate,” UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina stated in a letter to Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Noordin Haji.
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