JOHO REFUTES GACHAGUA'S CLAIMS ON ITUMBI'S INFLUENCE OVER CSs

Ali Hassan Joho, Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, has broken his silence refuting former DP's ,Rigathi Gachagua, damning allegations on Dennis Itumbi's influence over Ministers.

Gachagua in an interview with KTN on April 7, claimed that senior government officials and Cabinet Secretaries are taking instructions including 'pre-written speeches ' from Dennis Itumbi and Farouk Kibet, close associates of President William Ruto.

In an interview on Radio 47 ,Thursday, April 10, Joho sternly dismissed any sort of influence from Itumbi or Kibet over his ministry, maintaining that he operates independently and makes decisions by himself.

“I’ve never had someone tell me what to say. Let me speak for myself; who would even write things for me? Am I not a cabinet secretary? I have been given the job, so I will do it. Who else should I go looking for? I am the head of the ministry; I have principal secretaries and staff. We work together as a team,” Joho declared.

Joho admitted that he occasionally benchmarks with President Ruto, but , no one has ever attempted to overtake his authority or dictate the demands of his ministry.

“So I have never had to ask anyone else for instructions, except sometimes the president. Sometimes, the deputy president and other government officials consult with my team at the ministry. No one else has come to tell me what to do that goes against the rules,” the minister insisted.

“When we have Cabinet meetings, I talk to my fellow Cabinet members. I send in my agenda for the ministry, then it’s shared, and others give their thoughts and ideas on it. So for someone to tell me what to do as if I am a junior CS is not right," he added.

Despite Joho's remarks, questions still remains on the magnitude of these two men, Kibet and Itumbi in Ruto's administration.

Days back, Gachagua revealed that these two men are never small and they play certain strategic and significant roles in government.

“Dennis Itumbi is not a small man. This government is being run by Itumbi and Kibet. Itumbi drafts the statements issued by ministers, including those involving violence,” Gachagua alleged.

“If the president dislikes the direction of a discussion, Itumbi has the authority to walk into his office and shut the meeting down," he went on revealing the extent of Itumbi's influence.

Gachagua also refuted claims of arguing with junior men, like Kibet and Itumbi, stating that Kibet had trespassed at an extent of trying to control the office of the Deputy president and even soliciting bribes from Gachagua's guests.

“I went and told the Ruto that his personal assistant can not give me instructions. I told him if he wanted to give instructions, he do it himself and I would follow it to the letter, not his PA ordering me around. I told him he was taking advantage of his position to collect money from people to clear appointments, and I told him that I would fail if I did not advise him,” Gachagua claimed.

Itumbi, currently serves as Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, while Kibet has no specific official role but once said that his role is to support churches and help other needy Kenyans.

Speculations over Farouk Kibet's true identity still hold, especially after he recently man-handed Deputy President, Kithure Kindiki and Treasury CS John Mbadi as indicated in viral video clips.