CSs Davis Chirchir, Njuguna Ndung'u Must Resign- Raila

Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga has demanded President William Ruto to fire two Cabinet Secretaries in his government regarding the controversial government-to-government deal Ruto signed with Saudi Arabia oil companies.

Speaking to the media on Monday, November 20, Raila called for the resignation of Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and his Treasury counterpart Njuguna Ndung'u over the deal which he stated was a scam.

He stood firm on his allegations that the government-to-government deal was a corruption scandal hatched to withdraw money from the exchequer against the law.

Collage of CSs Davis Chirchir (left) and Njuguna Ndung'u (right). /VIRALTEAKE

"CSs Davis Chirchir and Njuguna Ndung'u have certainly committed criminal offences, abused office and gone against the constitution.

"They stole money from the consolidated fund in addition to spending monies way above what Parliament approved. They must not only resign but also be prosecuted," Raila demanded.

The former Prime Minister also demanded that the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum must make public the Supplier Purchase Agreement signed with the oil companies.

He further dismissed criticism thrown at him by President Ruto maintaining that the deal did not achieve its intended purpose which was to lower the cost of fuel and ease pressure on the Kenyan Shilling.

Referring to Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Raila accused the Treasury of withdrawing a total amount of Ksh17 billion which was not legally related to the oil deal.

He also poked holes at the Ksh17 billion fuel importation saga and questioned the whole process of authorizing the ship to depart from its origin, its docking, and offloading.

''For a ship to leave one port for another, loaded with goods it has to get a letter from the Ministry of Energy and Petroleum indicating that the ship is authorised to carry and offload,'' Raila stated.

Raila also called for investigations on the violation of consumer rights, transparency of fuel contracts, and criminal collusion through price fixing in the alleged G-to-G oil arrangement.

''This government has told Kenyans so many fictitious stories, that only documentary evidence will help the country separate facts from fiction,'' he added.

Businesswoman Ann Njeri Njoroge, who was at the epicentre of the saga, opened up on her interaction with CS Chirchir in an interview with Citizen TV, saying she met with officials from the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) who enquired whether she had a license to import the oil. However, she was directed to meet Chirchir.

When she allegedly met with Chirchir, she was told that the fuel belonged to someone else, further claiming that she met with Kapseret Member of Parliament Oscar Sudi, stating "I was told that Sudi was there listen to in on the meeting."

Notably, Chirchir on Sunday encountered a hostile welcome in Bomet County as he was heckled by a disapproving crowd in front of President Ruto, forcing him to cut short his address.

CS Davis Chirchir heckled by crowd in Bomet in front of President Ruto#ViralVideos pic.twitter.com/ZrgY0CbXRL — Viral Tea Ke (@ViralTeaKe) November 19, 2023

Ruto at the same time challenged Raila to prove his allegations, noting that the process was transparent and open.

“I am running a transparent government; all those contracts are available in Parliament. Stop saying you want the contracts, the contracts are public domain, there is no secret contract anywhere,” Ruto stated.