Garissa youth accuse MPs of plotting to oust Majority Leaders Aden Duale

A section of youth from Garissa County on Thursday protested against fresh demands for Majority Leader Aden Duale to produce a list of terrorism sympathisers and financiers, saying it was being used as a scapegoat to oust him from the position.

The youth said Mr Duale had done a lot in campaigning against terrorism in northeastern Kenya.

Addressing a press conference in Garissa Town, the group, led by Hassan Adhan, said MPs from the volatile northeastern region had embarked on sensitising locals on fighting terrorism and insecurity after Al-Shabaab militants attacked Garissa University College in April.

“Some politicians in the Jubilee administration are now eyeing the majority leader slot and they want to manufacture all kind of stories to oust Duale,” Mr Adhan said.

He said leaders should not politicise the war on terrorism.

"As youth from northeastern region, we want to tell those fighting Duale that he is not a guest in (the) Jubilee coalition and neither is he in the government by anybody's pleasure.

"He is in the position of majority leader based on (a) pre-election memorandum of understanding signed between TNA and URP,” they claimed.

Garissa Youth chairman Hussein Salat said the responsibility of providing lists of any criminals lies with those holding offices in the Interior Ministry.

“People in the region are the most affected by insecurity prevailing in the area, which (the) Jubilee government has failed or is not willing to address.

“If Kenya wants to (win) the war on terror we must unite, we must not trivialise terror issues. (The) security of Kenyans must be taken seriously and never reduced to agitating for positions in Parliament,” he said.

The youth were reacting to demands by MPs from central Kenya who gave Mr Duale seven days to produce the controversial list of terrorists an their financiers or they would initiate a process to oust him from the powerful post of majority leader in the National Assembly