Aden Duale, a member of parliament for Garissa Township, has discussed what caused President Uhuru Kenyatta to remove him as majority leader of the National Assembly.
Prior to being forced to pick between the president and the DP, Duale revealed in an interview that he was acquainted with both Uhuru and his deputy, William Ruto.
Initially, Duale observed that Uhuru had informed him of his support for Ruto’s president; however, as the consequences became known to the public, Uhuru later requested explanations.
Duale claims that the president was not amused by his decision to choose Ruto over Uhuru.
“You have a dual loyalty, the President continued. You must choose between the DP and me today. I just uttered two words. I declared that I am a Muslim, and thanks to URP, where I was a founding member, I am now the head of the Majority. Two, Ruto has always done nice actions for my family and I throughout his political career. As a Muslim, I said I couldn’t be a part of the group that has formed around you to defame the DP office, said Duale.
In addition, some influential people advised Uhuru to remove Duale from the crucial House leadership position for backing Ruto.
“Uhuru remarked, “You know Hon Duale you are my best buddy, You have fulfilled your mandate,’ for the first time. One of the most respected leaders in the nation is you. But those around me claim that your loyalty is divided. The great snake, Duale, is still in the house, people in my inner circle say, even if you take all these chairs from Parliament. He said, “You know people in my inner circle are saying even if you remove all these chairs from Parliament, you have not cleared William Ruto.” I opposed BBI at that time, he said.
Soon after, Duale made an offer to resign from his position and gave his successor Amos Kimunya advice to make sure he has hourly direct access to the President.
“Mr. President, you are my best friend; let me go,’ I said to him. I’m prepared to give up my position as the majority’s leader. Search for someone else,” he advised.
In June 2020, Duale lost his position as majority leader after Uhuru fired all of the legislators who had backed his deputy.
