First Lady blames Saitoti for oil spill deaths

• Mrs Kibaki demands written explanation from ministry officials.
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Kenya’s First Lady Lucy Kibaki has said Internal Security minister Prof George Saitoti is to blame for the Molo oil deaths.

She has also demanded for an explanation, in writing, from officials of the Ministry on why they failed to secure the scene of the incident.

She termed this as “negligence and insensitivity” by the leaders.

Ms Kibaki said that the incidence was man-made and could have been avoided if the Provincial Administration took a step to caution the residents of the danger in scooping oil from a fallen tanker.

“The administrators should have mobilised the residents out the scene of death.”

A furious Mrs Kibaki criticised Prof Saitoti and officials of his ministry of the failure to learn from the past similar incidences in the country.

“It is not the first or the second time this is happening. Even before the explosion the District Officers and chiefs had enough time to warn the people that is was dangerous to siphon the oil.”

She openly criticised the minister alongside other legislators who flew to Molo at the scene of accident to console the mourners over the weekend.

“Why should you fly all the way to Molo just to tell the mourning people that they should learn a lesson?”

She was speaking after visiting victims of the Molo tragedy at the Kenyatta National Hospital, Nairobi where some of the accident victims are admitted.

Noting that a similar tragedy happened on Thika Road last year, Mrs Kibaki blamed national leaders for ignoring to take caution and prevent future incidents.

“Internal Security docket should make sure that the citizens of the country are safe at all times.”

Prof Saitoti , Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Cabinet ministers Sam Ongeri, Beth Mugo, and Police Commissioner Hussein Ali were the first leaders to go to the accident scene.

“Instead of making a visit when the people are dead, you should go there to give them some (civic) education in good time...that petrol is dangerous and to keep off from man-made dangers.”

Mrs Kibaki told the Internal Security ministry to take charge of the situation noting that the country has had enough “unnecessary deaths” since January last year during the post-election violence.