23 Leaders Jump to Gachagua’s Defence, Issue Demands to PS Omollo

23 leaders have responded to Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo’s dismissal of Rigathi Gachagua’s assertion that the government was actively facilitating alcoholism in the Mount Kenya region.

In a statement on Monday, December 23, they called out the PS for trivialising the matter and failing to address key issues raised by the former Deputy President in his Sunday address.

“Today the Principal Secretary Internal Security and National Administration responded via a Press Statement. However, at no point of that statement did he respond to the specific issues raised by HE Rigathi Gachagua,” part of the statement read.

Among the issues they sought clarification on was whether the government’s efforts to curb the production, distribution, sale, and consumption of illicit brews had been successful during Gachagua’s tenure in office.

Consequently, they also stated that they expected clarification on whether illicit brews had resurfaced since Gachagua left office, particularly in the Mount Kenya Region, and, if so, why that was the case.

Regarding the issue of several companies being licensed to produce and distribute alcohol in the region, they emphasised that the PS needed to provide comprehensive details.

“If the PS was being honest, we expected him to provide details of all 29 companies dealing with second-generation alcohol, including where and when they were vetted and by which specific officers in the institutions he has named,” the statement continued.

They also demanded that the PS disclose the names of the 15 companies that have been vetted and licensed to sell second-generation alcohol, along with detailed information about their locations and any directives they were issued.

“The PS should specifically confirm whether the 13 companies he recently licensed were meant to sell exclusively in the Mt Kenya Region and, if true, whether he vetted these companies entirely by himself,” the statement added.

They further dismissed the PS’s attempt to suggest that the matter was politically motivated and stressed that the former Deputy President retained the authority to comment on national matters, as his removal from office was contested in court.

“As for the PS asking the former Deputy President for evidence of his statements, one only needs to walk around any shopping centre in the Mt Kenya Region to gather the required evidence,” they concluded.

The statement was signed by several well-known Gachagua allies, including Kiambu Senator Karungo wa Thang’wa, Githunguri MP Gathoni Wamuchomba, Embakasi North MP James Gakuya, Nyandarua Senator John Methu, and Murang’a Senator Joe Nyutu.