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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has fired back at North Eastern leaders calling for his resignation after reprimanding the National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Haji over the recent protests.

While interacting with residents of Kaplong Town in Bomet County on Sunday June 30, 2024, Gachagua castigated the North Eastern leaders advising them to go slow.

Gachagua clarified that he would not allow a section of North Eastern leaders to lecture him as they are newcomers to Kenya’s Kwanza side and they did not support President William Ruto in the 2022 General Election.

“Ati walikuwa wanakutana uko, wakupigia rais kura na wanataka kusomea mimi. Mimi ndio mtu nilikuwa na rais na nilijua anaweza. Nyinyi mlikuwa pande ile, mlikuwa mnasema rais awezi na kumtukana sasa mumekuja juzi na mnataka kutoke nje nyi mkuwe ndani (They used to meet there and even did not vote for the President and yet they want to lecture me. I stood with the President even when things were tough and you were among the people who used to insult him. You just joined us recently and yet you want to push us out!),” Gachagua told the residents.

The Second in Command told the disgruntled North Eastern leaders to join the ruling Coalition but take time to understand the optics and how businesses are transacted within Kenya Kwanza.

“Sasa wanakuja mpaka wantaka kuingia kwa bedroom. Wakae kwa verandah and understand how everything works. Sisi tunakaribisha kila mtu ( Now they want to invade the bedroom. Let them sit at the verandah and learn how things are done here),” Gachagua insisted.

Gachagua also extended the same message to Coastal leaders who called him out for describing NIS as dysfunctional and blaming Noordin Haji for failing to give credible information on the protests.

North Eastern leaders demands

The North Eastern leaders came out to defend National Intelligence Service Director General Noordin Hajji following a scathing attack by the deputy president.

According to the leaders, Gachagua’s attacks directed at the NIS director are defamatory to the presidency, since the NIS office is part of the National Security Council which Gachagua is also part of.

“The deputy president is a member of the Security Council Advisory Committee instead of taking his concerns so that they can be addressed he chose to address senior government officers who ordinarily should not be discussed in public It is unfortunate and that means demeaning the office of the president,” Mandera East MP Abdullahi Bashir said.

“There is no problem between the Muslim and Kikuyu nation, there is no problem between the Luos and the Kikuyu there is no problem with anybody Somali, Kisii, Luhya, Kenyans are one family. Politicians who are self-seeking would try and divide this country against ethnic lines along regional lines and we are telling the deputy president,” Dadaab MP Farah Maalim said.

Isiolo County Senator Fatma Dullo added, “The security lapse that happened Tuesday if we are to blame we blame all security apparatus, not one security, you do not expect NIS to go on the road or to go to the parliament and protect parliament but the way it has come out that is personal attack.”

Gachagua had called out Noordin Haji asking him to step aside and allow President Ruto to pick a competent person to lead the National Intelligence Service.

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