Embattled former Sports CS Rashid Echesa has bowed to his fate after he was fired by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Echesa on Saturday said Uhuru has the power as the appointing authority to hire and fire thus he has no objection to what has befallen him.
Echesa was speaking at a burial ceremony at Amarinda in Kakamega county.
"The president has constitutional powers as the appointing authority to hire and fire. So what happened yesterday I also saw it on television and so I am waiting for answers to be told what I did wrong," Echesa said.
Echesa was appointed as a CS in January 2018.
He served in the docket for only 13 months.
Echesa, who was born at Shibale in Mumias West Constituency, referred to himself as a "village boy".
Details on his academic background remain sketchy but once worked as a labourer at Mumias Sugar Company.
As his political star was rising, Echesa served as the ODM's Youth League leader before switching allegiance to Deputy President William Ruto during 2017 General Election. Thereafter, he was appointed to the Cabinet.
No sooner had Echesa landed in office than trouble started for him.
In August 2018, he accused ODM leader Raila Odinga of plotting to have him sacked after the handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
"The President appointed me because I'm a child of the poor. He knew that by appointing me, I would uplift another poor kid," Echesa said.
When President Uhuru went to lay a wreath at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's mausoleum in Bondo in December last year, he was unhappy with its state.
Echesa, as the minister in charge, had a tough time explaining why the historical site at Kang’oka Jaramogi was poorly maintained.
However, Raila defended him, saying Echesa was still young in his position.
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His sentiments were echoed by
Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali whio said opposition leader Raila Odinga is to blame for what has befallen Echesa.
Washiali said Raila who doubles up as the African Union Special Envoy for Infrastructure was secretly using the handshake deal to cripple Uhuru's leadership.
He said president Uhuru Kenyatta should reconsider his decision to fire Echesa as the sports CS.
"This has caught us by surprise. We are feeling so low in our spirits and we feel left out. We are no longer part of the government," he said.
He added, "It cannot be that every time someone needs to be punished in the government then it should be someone from Western. The other day Bungoma senator Moses Wetang'ula was dewhiped as senate Minority leader and replaced by someone from Nyanza. The person who has indirectly taken over from Echesa in the education docket also hails from Nyanza. Is Western region being sacrificed".
The legislator said they have lobbied
a section of politicians from Western to visit Uhuru amid efforts to find out what might have been the reason behind the sacking.
He said it was unfair for Echesa to be punished when little has been written about corruption in the sports docket.
"We are confused. We don't know what to say. We don't want to be judgmental or condemn anything but we are of the opinion that this handshake will breed more trouble than we expected," he said.
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He argued that if Uhuru had seen that Echesa has wronged in one way or the other he should have consulted the entire leadership from the region so that at least are in the know.
"It is unfortunate that people who opposed Jubilee's regime are reaping a lion share as opposed to the people who sacrificed to see them back to power. Some of us were threatened bu vowed to take the bullet for Uhuru and this is how he repays us," Washiali protested.
"We want Uhuru because he is the boss to reconsider the move. Even if Echesa wasn't the right person he wanted for the docket, we have other people from the region who have what it takes to lead the docket," he added.
Echesa was sacked on Friday morning and Ambassador Amina Mohamed moved to the Sports docket.
In the latest reshuffle, George Magoha who was the Chairman Kenya National Examination Council was appointed to replace Amina at the Education Ministry.
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