Lands CS Alice Wahome was forced to abort a scheduled media briefing at the eleventh hour after State House intervened to stop her from publicly confronting her colleague, Health CS Aden Duale, over his inflammatory remarks targeting the Kikuyu community.
Sources privy to the developments say Wahome had lined up journalists and was ready to unleash on Duale, but a phone call from the President’s handlers pulled the plug on what would have been a dramatic Cabinet showdown.
The aborted Tuesday presser comes days after Duale sparked outrage with remarks widely interpreted as insulting the Kikuyu community.
The Health CS has refused to apologize despite mounting pressure, instead insisting he will not honour any summons from the NCIC unless DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua is also dragged before the commission.
The CS accused Gachagua of making divisive remarks targeting the Somali community, including questioning appointments in the security sector and making disparaging comments about businesses in Eastleigh.
Alice Wahome had publicly called out her Cabinet colleague, demanding he withdraw his remarks and issue an unequivocal apology.
“Justifying your words by saying others have said worse is not an excuse. It is unacceptable,” Wahome said, in a rare public rebuke of a fellow CS.
Insiders say the President’s handlers moved quickly to contain the situation, fearing that a public confrontation between Wahome and Duale would expose the ethnic fault lines threatening to tear the government apart.
For now, Wahome has been muzzled. But the anger in Mt Kenya, and within sections of Ruto’s own Cabinet, is far from extinguished.
