Embattled NRM leader Miguna Miguna in his inherent no gloves punches has hit out at Tourism Minister Najib Balala only hours after the CS told Kenyans to go to hell for calling for his resignation following the controversial death of 11 Rhinos.
“Mr. @tunajibu is a fellow who flopped his Form 4 exams at Kakamega High School then got appointed a CS because he is gay like the Chief Despot. He believes Kenya belongs to his boyfriend “boss” and tells us to “go to hell” as @HassanAliJoho stands by him like a school boy?” he tweeted.
His tweet comes only hours after ODM hit back at Balala over the same.
Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the remarks have brought the presidency into disrepute after Balala said he is only answerable to the appointing authority – President Uhuru Kenyatta.
“We feel it is important to remind CS Balala of the provisions of Article 73(1)(a)(ii) of the Constitution which states that “the authority assigned to a state officer must be exercised in a manner that demonstrates respect for the people,” Sifuna said in a statement.
The CS while speaking in Mombasa this evening said he will not be intimidated by people who he accused of wanting to take over the national parks for their personal gain.
He said his appointment was as a result of the president’s full confidence in him to run the docket competently, a comment that elicited a public outrage.
“Nobody has appointed me. It is only [President] Uhuru Kenyatta who has appointed me. So they can go to hell, I can tell them that. [President] Uhuru Kenyatta is the only one who has appointed me here and he knows I have the capacity to run the wildlife docket,” Balala said.
The CS, who spoke in Mombasa after meeting Governor Hassan Joho in his office, said those clamouring for his resignation want to take over the national parks to solicit for donor funding for their lifestyles.
“I’m going to stop it, once and for all,” Balala said.
But in a quick rejoinder, Sifuna said the CS, by virtue of being a State officer, is subject to the tenets of the Integrity and Leadership Act.
He said the law requires him (Balala) to “take personal responsibility for the reasonably foreseeable consequences” of the discharge of his duties.
He said: “The death of the Rhinos was a clearly foreseeable consequence especially in light of the fact that it was unsanctioned by the Kenya Wildlife Service.”
Mr. @tunajibu is a fellow who flopped his Form 4 exams at Kakamega High School then got appointed a CS because he is gay like the Chief Despot. He believes Kenya belongs to his boyfriend "boss" and tells us to "go to hell" as @HassanAliJoho stands by him like a school boy? https://t.co/3mhMBpLlJt
— Dr. Miguna Miguna (@MigunaMiguna) July 30, 2018
Sifuna criticized Balala for shifting blame to junior KWS officers after he suspended six managers as he “arrogantly attempts to mask his incompetence in matters conservation”.
“CS Balala has laid bare his unfitness to hold the office he occupies and compounded it by showing disrespect to the people of Kenya, his real employers, and the only way to save whatever is left of his reputation is to resign,” Sifuna said.
Balala oversaw the translocation of 11 rhinos from the Nakuru and Nairobi National Parks to Tsavo East National Park sanctuary on June 26.
Initially, eight rhinos died soon after arriving at the sanctuary in what the CS later attributed to multiple stress syndrome intensified by salt poisoning.
He said dehydration, starvation, infection the respiratory tract (Pasteurella species), gastric ulcers and gastritis further complicated the situation.
Two more rhinos died days later while a third was attacked by lions.
On Friday last week, former KWS board chairman Richard Leakey appeared to blame Balala for the deaths saying they could have been averted had he [Balala] appointed a functional board to offer sound advise on the relocation.
He said the board he led, and whose tenure ended in April, refused to relocate the animals – thrice.
Black rhinos are an endangered species in Kenya whose population stood at 745 in 2017, according to KWS data.
Sifuna said a proper inquiry needs to be initiated into the deaths of the rhinos for purposes of holding individuals found culpable criminally liable.
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