Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, Ali Hassan Joho, has broken his silence following Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s fiery claims that senior government officials are taking instructions—and even pre-written speeches—from Dennis Itumbi, a close ally of President William Ruto.
In a candid interview on Radio 47 on Thursday, April 10, Joho flatly denied any such influence over his ministry, declaring that he operates independently and makes his own decisions.
“I’ve never had someone tell me what to say. Let me speak for myself; who would even write things for me? Am I not a cabinet secretary? I have been given the job, so I will do it. Who else should I go looking for? I am the head of the ministry; I have principal secretaries and staff. We work together as a team,” Joho said.
Joho further clarified that while he occasionally consults with President Ruto, no one has ever tried to override his authority or dictate his ministry’s agenda.
“So I have never had to ask anyone else for instructions, except sometimes the president. Sometimes, the deputy president and other government officials consult with my team at the ministry. No one else has come to tell me what to do that goes against the rules,” he added.
Rebuffing the idea that anyone could be pulling strings behind the scenes, Joho doubled down:
“When we have Cabinet meetings, I talk to my fellow Cabinet members. I send in my agenda for the ministry, then it’s shared, and others give their thoughts and ideas on it. So for someone to tell me what to do as if I am a junior CS is not right.”
Joho’s remarks come hot on the heels of a sensational interview by Deputy President Gachagua on KTN News on April 7, where he painted a picture of a shadowy power structure allegedly led by Dennis Itumbi and Farouk Kibet.
“Dennis Itumbi is not a small man. This government is being run by Itumbi and Kibet. Itumbi drafts the statements issued by ministers, including those involving violence,” Gachagua claimed.
He went further, describing Itumbi as the president’s chief propagandist with the audacity to shut down high-level meetings at will:
“If the president dislikes the direction of a discussion, Itumbi has the authority to walk into his office and shut the meeting down.”
Gachagua also defended himself against accusations that he was clashing with so-called “junior officials,” insisting his conflicts were with powerful insiders.
“He said I was fighting small men, but Farouk Kibet is not a small man. Farouk Kibet is the co-president. He runs the country. Everyone reports to him,” Gachagua said.
According to Gachagua, Farouk Kibet even tried to run the DP’s office during his tenure by controlling appointments and allegedly soliciting bribes in exchange for access.
“I went and told the Ruto that his personal assistant can not give me instructions. I told him if he wanted to give instructions, he do it himself and I would follow it to the letter, not his PA ordering me around. I told him he was taking advantage of his position to collect money from people to clear appointments, and I told him that I would fail if I did not advise him,” Gachagua claimed.
The storm swirling around Itumbi and Kibet continues to raise eyebrows. It has never been clear on what role Itumbi plays in President Ruto’s government.
Itumbi, currently serving as Head of Presidential Special Projects and Creative Economy Coordination, was also controversially sworn in as Deputy Minister in March 2023—a position later nullified by the courts along with 50 others.
However, as a digital strategist, he has also been touted to be the one behind Ruto’s PR machine by pushing the Kenya Kwanza agenda on social media.
It is also said that he is the one who engages social media influencers on behalf of the president so as to push the government’s agenda among the millions of social media users.
Farouk on the other hand does not officially hold any official position in government. As the president’s personal assistant, he has however emerged as President Ruto’s most potent tool. His word is law and he clearly runs the show coming in handy in managing Ruto’s diary.
Over the past years, he has managed to maintain a shadowy and silent figure.
Once when asked what his role was, he replied, “my work is to help churches and other needy Kenyans as a way of supporting our government to improve the livelihoods of kenyans of low income”.
However of late, his strong hand has been seen in light as he brazenly controls the mighty, including circulating video clips of him strongly handling Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Treasury CS John Mbadi.
