Somali elders defend NIS boss Noordin Haji, accuse Gachagua of overstepping his mandate
They criticised Gachagua for allegedly failing to advise President Ruto as his Principal Assistant on measures that should have been taken to prevent the loss of lives during the anti-tax protests.
Isiolo's Somali Council of Elders has hit out at Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua for alleging that the National Intelligence Service failed in its mandate of sharing accurate briefs with his boss President William Ruto before Gen Zs took to the streets over the unpopular Finance Bill 2024.
During a recent address in Mombasa that came moments after President Ruto announced that he would not sign the legislation due to last Tuesday's deadly protests, Gachagua asked NIS boss Noordin Haji to resign for allegedly failing the Head of State and Kenyans.
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But the Isiolo elders led by Chairperson Abdikadir Shariff Abdullahi and Secretary-General Idle Hassan expressed their ire with Gachagua's utterances that they claimed were aimed at inciting hatred against the community where Haji hails from.
Accusing him of overstepping his mandate and harbouring an ulterior motive, the elders wondered why President Ruto who is the appointing authority had not expressed any reservations with the NIS Director General.
"Noordin Haji is in that office because of his qualifications which made him sail through the rigorous process (for NIS boss) that included vetting by the Parliament," Abdikadir said, adding that having previously served as Director of Public Prosecutions showed the officer was up to the task.
He also criticised Gachagua for allegedly failing to advise President Ruto as his Principal Assistant on measures that should have been taken to prevent the loss of lives during the anti-tax protests.
"What role did he play as the closest to the President?" he posed, terming the allegations at the spy chief as baseless.
Idle said any security lapses during the anti-Finance Bill protests could not be blamed on any officer but all the security agencies.
"Noordin's work is to share intelligence which is acted upon by other agencies. Why is it that he is the only one being blamed?" he posed.
He demanded that the Deputy President apologises to Kenyans for maligning Noordin's name in public while they both sat in the National Security Council where the matter could have been raised and addressed.
Gachagua had claimed that NIS was dysfunctional and that Ruto deserved a better Director General who is serious with his work, is effective and can analyse situations to keep the government informed.
"It has taken protests, deaths, mayhem and destruction for the President to know the truth yet there is an organisation charged with that role," Gachagua said.
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