Kenya: Governor Kahiga Denies Calling for Chirchir's Sacking, Says He Meant Murkomen

13 December 2023
Capital FM (Nairobi)

Nairobi — Nyeri Governor Mutahi Kagiha has refuted claims that he called for the sacking of Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir over recurring power outages hours after he called on President William Ruto to crack the whip on the CS.

The Governor, in a brief statement released on Wednesday, emphatically denied calling for Chirchir's axing, clarifying that he was referring to Transport CS Kipchumba Murkomen.

''I wish to clarify that I never demanded the sacking of CS Davis Chirchir for the recent power failure in my Jamhuri Day speech,'' Governor Kahiga stated.

''I asked HE the President to sack the CS concerned with Airports [and] also said that all Cabinet secretaries letting down the President must be shown the door,'' he explained.

Kahiga stated that Chirchir had demonstrated concern over the recent national power outage that affected Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the third in months.

''All I said is that I was with Waziri at the JKIA when the blackout happened. I said he frantically made calls to have power restored,'' he argued.

Change of tune

In his earlier remarks, Kahiga had called for stern action against incompetent officials in Ruto's Cabinet over Sunday's nationwide power outage.

''They're letting our hardworking President down,'' Kahiga said in his Jamhuri Day speech.

''Our President is working round the clock yet some people want to blackmail him. We have 50 million Kenyans competent for the job,'' he remarked.

Chirchir had, responding to concerns over frequent blackouts, blamed Sunday's incident on an overload on the Kisumu-Muhoroni transmission line that destabilized the grid.

Kipchumba Murkomen, under whose docket the JKIA falls, blamed sabotage after the airport's two standby generators failed, calling for a criminal investigation.

''Considering the frequency of the power disruption, and taking into account the fact that JKIA is a facility of strategic national importance, we are making a formal request to the National Police Service to investigate possible acts of sabotage and coverup,'' he said on Sunday.

Read the original article on Capital FM.

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