I don’t know why President sent me home, says Rashid Echesa

Former Sports Cabinet secretary Rashid Echesa (pictured) has said he saw his sacking announcement on television and that he is yet to know the reason why he was fired.

Echesa, speaking at a funeral in Matungu, Kakamega County, yesterday said his sacking was nothing new as many before him had been sacked.

He accepted his termination, saying the President had the constitutional mandate to reshuffle his Cabinet whenever he deemed fit.

“It’s the prerogative of the President to reorganise his Cabinet the way he wants. Constitutionally, the President has the mandate and power to hire and fire,” said Echesa.

“The President knew why he appointed me to serve and Ibelieve he had a reason to ask me to step aside.”

Echesa however said it is not a must that he gets an explanation for his sacking.

He said his dismissal was not the end for him, urging his supporters in the region to remain calm.

“I had a life before the Cabinet appointment and I lived among you, so you should not be worried,” he told the mourners.

Echesa put up a brave face as he attended several funerals in Kakamega County yesterday, taking the opportunity to engage the residents on matters touching on the sugar industry.

He promised that he will continue to fight for the revival of Mumias Sugar Company.

“We will not accept to let our people to suffer politically and economically. We will continue fighting for our machines in Mumias to start milling again,” said the former CS.

He said he will not allow Mumias Sugar Company to go on receivership, even if he is out of the government.

He was accompanied by Mumias East MP Benjamin Washiali, who echoed his sentiments a day after saying the sacking of Echesa was a big blow to the Luhya community.

Washiali said the community helped in legitimising PresidentUhuru Kenyatta’s term in office during the October 2017 repeat election, and they should be respected for that.

“We went against our people’s wishes and supported the Jubilee agenda to unite all Kenyans in 2017. We fought hard and expected to be treated well,” he said.

“If we had closed our polling stations in October 2017 like what happened in Nyanza, Uhuru would have been a lame duck president,” he added.

Washiali insisted that Echesa should have been given a reason for his sacking, because failure to do so, people will assume that his sacking was a witch-hunt meant to shame the Luhya community.

He claimed that the sacking of Echesa, who is an ally of Deputy President William Ruto, was political and aimed at taming the DP’s inroads in Western region ahead of the 2022 elections.

“The Deputy President has been coming here often, telling us how being in government has helped and he always gives the example of CS Rashid. Now they have taken the seat so that he (Ruto) has no reason to come back,” said Washiali.

The legislator said he will not be surprised if he is also stripped of his National Assembly Majority Whip position.

“If they also want the Majority Whip position, they can as well take it. But let them be warned that in 2022, we will show you another way,” he said.

Washiali said the handshake between ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta was being used to harass individuals aligned to the Deputy President in the Jubilee Party.

Echesa has in the past accused Raila of undermining his work in the Cabinet.