Defence CS Soipan Tuya has refuted reports that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga saved President William Ruto from a military coup.
In response to reports that appeared in local dailies over the weekend, the Ministry of Defence, through a statement on Monday, March 17 termed the reports false and baseless.
“The articles which cite an undisclosed source allege that former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in an exclusive interview, claimed he prevented a military coup against His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya and Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces.”
“The Ministry categorically states that the claims in the newspaper articles are false, baseless, unfounded, misleading, and indeed reckless,” CS Soipan Tuya stated.
The Ministry stated that KDF was a professional body which was committed to upholding the Constitution.
It was also reiterated that the military had unwavering loyalty to Ruto – who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Forces.
“The Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) is a professional and apolitical institution committed to the highest standards of integrity, discipline, and service to the nation,” read the statement in part.
“KDF remains unwavering in its loyalty to the Commander-in-Chief and its duty to safeguard the security and well-being of Kenya and her people, free from political influence or sectarian interests.”
Additionally, the Ministry led by Tuya called on the media to uphold ethical standards in their reporting.
“The Ministry urges Nation Media Group to uphold the principles of ethical journalism by ensuring accuracy, fairness, and responsibility in reporting, especially on matters of national security,” added the statement.
According to the Nation publication, Raila revealed that the deployment of the military during the anti-Finance Bill protests by Gen Z in June 2024 could have turned into a coup.
Furthermore, the former prime minister stated in the article that he had to step in to prevent an imminent military takeover.
He explained that the government’s decision to call in the military to end the protests was a mistake that could have resulted in soldiers assuming control of the country’s leadership.
“If the military had taken over, then Ruto would not be in power today. Once soldiers leave the barracks, they never go back, The country was on the brink. If the protests had continued the way they were, the military would have taken over, and that would have been the end of civilian rule,” Raila was quoted in the article.
