- Former CS thanks President for giving him the opportunity to serve in his administration
- He asks for patience, saying Kenyans will one day know what transpired
Image: FILE
Fired Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri said yesterday’s sacking by President Uhuru Kenyatta did not surprise him and he is a relieved man.
Kiunjuri said he had endured humiliation and threats while serving in Uhuru’s Cabinet and is happy that he will now focus on other national issues.
“My friends and family know what I went through. I gave my best and I am proud of my achievements. I am leaving government with my head held high,” he said at a press conference in Nairobi.
He wished his successor, Peter Muya, the best in his new assignment but indicated that he was not going anywhere.
“I am not going anywhere. You will be seeing me in national politics because for any action there will be a reaction,” he vowed.
Kiunjuri thanked the President for giving him the opportunity to serve in his administration, saying he gained experience and exposure of how government operates.
He said it was ironical for the President to fire him while at the same time acknowledging tremendous improvements in the ministry he was heading.
“Even when he was announcing his new line up, the President said agricultural production had gone up,” he added.
Kiunjuri went on to invoke a Kikuyu saying which he translated to mean that a person on a journey should be ready for any eventuality.
“We are born with nothing and part with nothing. Even in the wilderness, God provides food,” he added.
Kiunjuri was on the spot in May 2018 over a maize scandal in which farmers from the Rift Valley breadbasket lost out to unscrupulous traders.
He declined to resign as demanded by a section of MPs and instead said he was the whistleblower and should be congratulated and not fought for working to eliminate cartels.
Yesterday, the former Cabinet Secretary said he was resilient and would be back in the national limelight.
“I have never failed to try. I have a lot to offer this country,” he said.
When asked whether he felt betrayed and whether his association with Deputy President William Ruto was the reason for his sacking, Kiunjuri declined to respond.
“You know where to ask those questions,” he answered. He also declined to respond to a question on whether his quest to be the political kingpin for Central was to blame for his sacking.
“I do not want to go into the reasons why I was fired. There could be 100 reasons why I was sacked,” he told journalists.
He however asked for patience, saying Kenyans will one day know what transpired. “I will not provoke anybody but when I will be provoked or feel it is necessary to talk, I will do so. There are so many things to say since I have been humiliated over time,” he explained.