The head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Dennis Itumbi has come out to set the record straight hours after Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua revealed that he was removed from President William Ruto’s diary WhatsApp group.
In a statement on Saturday, September 21, 2024, Itumbi explained that the said WhatsApp group was deleted permanently and that the president was among the first to be removed.
According to Itumbi, a close ally of President Ruto, the decision was made after it emerged that some key and highly classified documents were being shared in other forums.
“Yes, the diary group was deleted. What DP Rigathi Gachagua fails to mention is that the president was removed even before him, and the group was permanently deleted due to the highly classified documents being shared in WhatsApp groups.
“A security decision was also made that no other group would be formed on the diary,” Itumbi explained.
His sentiments come after Gachagua disclosed that he was removed from the WhatsApp group which coordinates his schedule with the president’s engagements.
Gachagua claimed that this exclusion, which also affected his Chief of Staff and Private Secretary, has left them in the dark, making it increasingly difficult for him to fulfil his duties effectively.
He linked the move to missing some of the key events attended by Ruto recently.
“I was removed from the president’s diary so that when I don’t attend presidential events, it can be claimed that I am avoiding my duties. Sometimes they even want me to arrive late so it looks disrespectful. This has made my work very complicated,” Gachagua revealed.
“Initially, I thought it was petty, but now that the mischievous State House bloggers are saying I am absconding duties, I think it’s important to let Kenyans know,” he added.
Photoshop
During the explosive interview at a local TV station, Gachagua also revisited the time when King Charles visited the country and a photoshop of him standing at a State House window went viral.
Gachagua accused State House bloggers of creating the said photoshop which went viral and even became a meme at that time.
Responding to Gachagua’s claims, Itumbi distanced himself from the photoshop insisting that it was created by political detractors.
“On the King’s visit meme, it’s absurd how far DP Gachagua has gone to draw attention to a satirical piece of art, developed clearly by those against UDA at the time for social media banter. At one point, he made the president cancel a crucial Universal Health Coverage meeting for a two-hour session to discuss the meme’s impact on his political standing,” Itumbi claimed.
He further accused the second in command of finding fault even with the camera angles during various state functions.
With the political pulse in the ruling party hitting records high, the DP has called on his boss to bring the house in order.
He argued that President Ruto has the power to stop the insults and the alleged plot to impeach him.
