Opposition leader Raila Odinga has now demanded the immediate resignation of Energy Cabinet Secretary Davis Chirchir and his Treasury counterpart Njuguna Ndung’u.
This is in relation to an alleged scheme involving the procurement of petroleum products through a purported Government-to-Government agreement with Saudi Arabia.
Odinga claims the Kenya-Saudi deal was signed and kept secret in order to raise fuel prices in the country while benefiting certain government officials.
He claims that Kenya did not sign any agreements with the UAE or Saudi Arabia, and that the agreement was signed between the Energy Ministry and state-owned companies in the Middle East.
In a press conference in Nairobi on Monday, Odinga accused Chirchir and Ndung’u of committing a crime and demanded that they vacate their positions and be prosecuted.
“Mr Chirchir and National Treasury CS 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 money way above what Parliament approved. They must not only resign but must also be prosecuted,” he said.
The opposition leader also dismissed President Ruto’s criticism, claiming that the agreement did not achieve its intended goal of lowering fuel prices and relieving pressure on the Kenyan shilling.
Raila then followed in the footsteps of Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, accusing senior government officials of illegally withdrawing Ksh 17 billion, an amount he claimed was directly related to the fuel deal.
He also questioned the entire process of authorising the ship to depart from its origin, docking, and offloading, which involved businesswoman Ann Njeri Njoroge.
”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 demanded that the government provide documentation proving that the government-to-government fuel deal was conducted in Kenyan Shillings, as claimed by President William Ruto and senior government officials.
”This government has told Kenyans so many fictitious stories, that only documentary evidence will help the country separate facts from fiction,” he added.
President William Ruto had on Sunday dismissed an earlier dossier issued by Raila questioning the fuel deal. The Head of State dared Raila to substantiate his allegations adding 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.
