Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has made bold claims that he would be imprisoned at Shimo La Tewa today if opposition leader Raila Odinga had emerged victorious in the 2022 presidential election.
Speaking during a stopover in Kenol, Maragua Constituency, Murang’a County, where he attended a Council of Chairpersons of Government parastatals meeting focused on women empowerment programs aligned with the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda, Echesa expressed gratitude to the people of Murang’a who voted for President William Ruto.
Echesa stated, "You people know the hardships I faced with the previous government. I want to take this opportunity and tell the people of Murang’a a very big thank you. Had you not voted for William Ruto, I, Rashid Mohammed, would have been rotting in Shimo La Tewa."
The outspoken politician emphasized the challenges he encountered during the tenure of the previous government, insinuating that his support for Deputy President Gachagua and William Ruto led to unwarranted allegations and corruption cases against him.
Echesa recounted, "You all know what I went through and Deputy President Gachagua also went through the same. You all know that anyone who supported William Ruto was being implicated in corruption cases. I was implicated in 11 cases and at the end of the day, the courts threw out the cases. There weren’t any witnesses (who came forth)."
Acknowledging the significance of the 2022 presidential election, Echesa expressed his gratitude for the outcome that saved him from legal predicaments, stating, "I am thankful to you Murang’a people, together with my family, if you hadn’t voted, I don’t know where I would have been today."
Echesa's claims come against the backdrop of the highly contentious presidential election in 2022, where President William Ruto secured victory over Raila Odinga by a margin of approximately 200,000 votes.
Rashid Echesa's tenure as Sports Cabinet Secretary was marred by corruption allegations. Notably, his involvement in a fraudulent Sh39 billion arms deal led to his removal from office. In 2020, he faced charges of forgery and swindling, relating to a Sh11.5 million payment he allegedly received as consultancy fees in connection with the arms deal.
The arms deal scandal was also linked to the mysterious death of Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, a police officer stationed at Harambee Annex, which housed former Deputy President William Ruto's offices. Echesa had boasted of his close relationship with Ruto before the scandal surfaced.
Echesa's claims of political persecution and his association with President Ruto underscore the complex intersections of power, politics, and legal controversies in Kenya's political landscape.