'I'm ready for the sack,' says Duale as Kenyans turn heat on Ruto cabinet

Defence CS Aden Duale. [Samson Wire, Standard]

Defence CS Aden Duale says he is willing to vacate office should his leadership of the Defence docket portfolio be put into question.

Duale was reacting to the raging debate on the poor performance and unwanted open display of opulence by some members of President William Ruto's cabinet.

According to him, President Ruto needs to turn the current political atmosphere into a moment of introspection, audit his cabinet, and reconstitute it if necessary.

"If the president feels I have let him down as the minister for Defence, I want him to do the right thing. He should not only start with me, but sack all the rest who have let him down, in the interest of the people of Kenya, and tell us to step aside and have a new team, "said Duale.

"I am ready," he added confidently.

Extra-Judicial Killings

On Wednesday, July 3, Senators from across the political divide took the floor of the Senate and castigated some members of the Cabinet whom they accused of corruption and insensitivity to the plight of Kenyans carrying the burden of the tough economic times.

However, Duale defended the government against accusations that it carried out abductions of those opposing President Ruto during the anti-government protests that began last month.

"The worst abductions and extrajudicial killings in the history of Kenya happened in the last four or five years of President Uhuru's reign. That was the time when nearly forty bodies were found in River Yala and another twenty in Tana River and my constituency of Garissa. If we are to rate when extralegal means were used, it has to be during President Uhuru's last four years," insisted Duale.

The Defence CS claimed that Kenyan Gen Zs are a 'vital voice' whose good intentions were infiltrated by a Ruto-hating group responsible for the mayhem that led to the unprecedented deployment of KDF to protect key government installations.

"The 'Ruto Must Go' slogan is not a Gen Z slogan. It's Kalonzo Musyoka, Kioni, Miguna. The traditional cabal, who are not Gen Zs, have not recovered (from the last election) and cannot wait for 2027. They feel that because Baba is going to AU they have no chance in 2027 and in their wildest dream they feel there is a shortcut to change William Ruto. The constitution of Kenya 2010 does not envisage that," he argued.