Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua now says that he actually celebrated when retired President Uhuru Kenyatta de-whipped Aden Duale as National Assembly majority leader.

According to the DP, Duale was on their side but was hardly available to help them plan their affairs.

This, he said, was because he was busy pushing the agenda of the former president.

But when he was sacked, Gachagua said Duale was now available to help them with strategy and messaging.

"I must admit today because I'm a truthful man, that when Duale was sacked, I celebrated. I may look mischievous but I had a good reason. Duale was in our team but was not available because he was in the National Assembly pushing the Agenda of Jubilee and President Uhuru Kenyatta," he said during the launch of Duale's book on Thursday.

"So when he was sacked, I was very happy he was now available for us in matters strategy and messaging and we took advantage."

He said that from then on, they would announce that Duale would be part of their entourage whenever they went for campaigns and people would listen to him because they felt he had been treated unfairly by the former regime.

The DP stated that it was the same case for Prof. Kithure Kindiki (now Interior CS). Then he was the deputy Speaker of the Senate and Tharaka Nithi senator.

"The man (Kindiki) was made available and so was the case with Kipchumba Murkomen."

Senior government and national leaders heaped praise on the Defence Cabinet Secretary, Duale, terming him a quintessential politician with unmatched loyalty.

The leaders, the majority of them members of Parliament, said the CS steered the government agenda in Parliament to ensure that no bills were lost.