Environment Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale, in a February 3 interview with Citizen Digital, indirectly admitted that President William Ruto’s administration has been involved in extrajudicial killings and abductions.
However, he argued that these incidents cannot be compared to those that occurred during former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure.
According to Duale, Ruto has his own “skeletons,” which he claimed is normal for anyone in power.
However, he urged Kenyans to remember that similar incidents also took place under the leadership of Uhuru Kenyatta, Daniel Moi, and Mwai Kibaki, yet few people spoke out against them.
Environmental CS Aden Duale during a past media presser. Photo: Tuko Source: IG
Duale went further to allege that the number of victims of extrajudicial killings during Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime is so high that they could fill the entire Uhuru Park if they were assembled in one place.
“In the last administration, thousands and thousands of people died. Take a camera, walk in Garissa, Mombasa, Mandera—any city—and ask those who lost their loved ones during the last administration to come out. They would fill Uhuru Park,” he claimed during the interview.
The Cabinet Secretary defended the Ruto administration’s record, arguing that enforced disappearances were far more rampant under previous regimes.
He insisted that President Ruto does not condone abductions and that his government is actively working to address the issue.
CS Aden Duale gestures as he delivers a speech during Garissa tour. Photo: Aden Duale Source: Facebook
“It’s unacceptable, both as a government and under the Constitution. President Ruto and we don’t believe in abductions,” Duale stated.
He also emphasized that security agencies found to be involved in enforced disappearances are not acting on behalf of the government.
“If there is anybody within the security agency that is part and parcel of abducting, that is not the position of the President.”
Duale pointed out that the Ruto administration is the only government that has made extrajudicial killings a key concern in its manifesto.
“We are the only administration that put the issue of extrajudicial killings in our manifesto; it is something the government has been working on,” he added.
CS Aden Duale acknowledges honor during a past function
His remarks come as Public Service CS Justin Muturi continues to criticize the government’s handling of the growing insecurity crisis.
Muturi, a former attorney general, has warned that the ongoing abductions and killings are severely damaging the country’s reputation and has urged President Ruto to take decisive action.
Allies of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua have since condemned Duale and other UDA lawmakers for calling for Muturi’s resignation.
They accused Duale of attacking a colleague who has been vocal about the government’s failure to curb kidnappings and disappearances.
