Aden Duale goes back on his terror list promise

Majority Leader Aden Duale. FILE PHOTO |

What you need to know:

  • Majority Leader says he is under no obligation to present any list to anyone.
  • Mr Duale said he would not be bullied around on the war against terrorism.

National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale is increasingly feeling the heat over his promise to deliver a list of Al-Shabaab financiers after his self-imposed deadline of 30 days expired.

And on Saturday, he appeared to change his tune, saying he was under no obligation to present any list to anyone.

“I do not have the list. I know whom I give information and therefore no one should ask me what to do,” he said.

Mr Duale said he would not be bullied around on the war against terrorism, which he said he was helping the government fight.

Speaking in Garissa during an Uwezo Fund ceremony, Mr Duale said: “We are not playing politics. We are not answerable to anybody and we owe nobody any form of a list. As the leadership, we will work with the security agencies to make sure the region and Kenya is safe from Al-Shabaab. As [the] northern Kenya parliamentary group, including ministers and [the] governor, we have a responsibility to lead our people and Kenyan people in working to make sure we fight Al-Shabaab and we have made serious actionable recommendations to the President, which are being implemented in [the] northern region.”

'POLITICAL STATEMENTS'

The National Assembly majority leader’s tribulations began after the April 2 terror attack on Garissa University College. Then, he talked of releasing a list of Al-Shabaab financiers to the government.

In defiant fashion, Mr Duale on Friday told off Major-General (rtd) Joseph Nkaissery, saying he was not answerable to him, remarks that could only escalate the bad situation.

Mwenda Njoka, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government, said the docket has its own ways of nabbing terror suspects.

“The minister receives information from different sections. If he [Duale] has the list then he should bring it forward to us.” Mr Njoka said. “But we do not rely on political statements.”

Last month, about 10 Jubilee members, led by TNA chairman Johnson Sakaja, mounted pressure on Mr Duale to produce the list or step aside.

On Saturday, Mr Sakaja maintained that leaders must be held to account for what they say in public, especially on sensitive issues like security.

Additional reporting by Justus Wanga