Kindiki scoffs at Muturi, tells restless CS to resign
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Deputy President Kithure Kindiki yesterday told State officials who want to criticise the government to quit instead of sabotaging it from within.
In a veiled attack on Public Service and Human Capital Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, Kindiki said it is dishonest for a minister flying a flag in the government of President Rutot to criticise it when he can effectively do so from Opposition.
Kindiki told those opposed to the government to join the team headed by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and do so while there.
“You cannot be a minister or an officer flying a flag in this government and, at the same time, sabotage it,” he said.
He added: “Those who want to oppose the President should leave the government and do it from outside.”
Muturi hit headlines recently when he took on the government over abductions with claims that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was behind the kidnappings.
Muturi, who has since insisted that he would not quit government, narrated how he approached President Ruto over his son’s abduction with the Head of State eventually asking NIS director general Noordin Haji to release him.
Dared to quit
Yesterday, he told State officers dissatisfied with the government to quit and told off those advising him to criticise the President Ruto saying it is not the work of the the Principal Assistant to oppose his boss. Instead, he said, his function is to assist the Head of State execute his mandate.
Kindiki stated that that he knows and fully understands his job, which is to support, supplement and assist the President in delivering on his responsibilities and commitments to Kenyans.
He said: “Those telling me to oppose the President kama watu wengine wamekosea. Maybe they are looking for the wrong person, not me.”
He added: “There are characters I see advising me to oppose the President and I’m wondering: Is the work of the DP to oppose the President? Is that the job description? Those characters advising me to oppose the President are addressing the wrong person. Maybe they are talking to somebody else, not me.”
Speaking in Karen, his official residence, Kindiki also told off impeached former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for inciting Kenyans against leaders whenever they attend funerals and weddings.
Isolated incidents
Kindiki said isolated incidents where events are disrupted including those organised by musicians are wrong and unacceptable.
To this end, he was categorical that he will be touring Mt Kenya region starting this weekend and dared anyone to shout him down when delivering his message.
He said: “When the time comes, we will compete even with my brother here, he will tell us what he did when he was DP for two years. It’s going to be so rough; it is not going to be easy; you cannot come to incite people in burials, you bring people to incite you. Some musicians organize some events and then you come and disrupt this event, this is very wrong. In the central Kenya area we were not born for violence.”
His sentiments come hardly days after Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi criticized the government for failing to address abductions and unexplained deaths under the current regime.
The CS said those who thought he did not know what he was doing were up for a rude shock.
Extra judicial killings
Muturi said the government had pledged during the last election campaign to end disappearances and extra-judicial killings but has failed to deliver.
He said: “We vowed that we would never, under our watch, condone or allow such. “We stated this time and time again in the lead-up to the last general election.”
Gachagua who came to the defence of Muturi, dismissed allegations that Muturi coerced Embu residents to reject President William Ruto’s speech. asserting that it was the residents themselves who chose to reject the speech.
He explained that the public’s disinterest in anything associated with Ruto was evident, but the administration, unwilling to accept this reality, was unjustly blaming Muturi.
He said: “Muturi was seriously abused by the president. He received very offensive messages at night, accusing him of inciting people to reject the president’s condolence message. That is extremely unfair to Muturi. The truth is, it’s the people of Mt. Kenya who refused, and they will continue rejecting him,” Gachagua said.