The opposition is divided. And Oburu Odinga just drew a clear line.
While some opposition figures are demanding the heads of two cabinet secretaries, ODM Party Leader Oburu Odinga has stepped in with a firm rebuttal: investigations first, resignations later.
Speaking on a local radio station on Sunday, April 19, Oburu pushed back against calls for Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi and Trade CS Lee Kinyanjui to step aside over the fuel importation scandal.
Energy Cs Opiyo Wandayi
“We are not shielding anybody,” Oburu said. “But resignation is not the point. If investigations find they are culpable, then they will be mentioned.”
He drew from the Mwai Kibaki era playbook: when an investigative authority names someone, they step aside. Until then, political optics should not force leaders out.
“You don’t drag somebody’s name politically just because he is the minister,” Oburu warned. “His name has not been mentioned by the investigative authority.”
The other side wants blood.
Just days earlier, the United Alternative Government — led by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua — demanded both CSs resign. Gachagua accused Wandayi of lying under oath to a National Assembly committee and called for his prosecution. Kinyanjui, he said, was “complicit” in the scandal.
The fuel storm erupted after EPRA announced new pump prices on April 14, effective through May 14. Super petrol now retails at Ksh197.60 in Nairobi, diesel at Ksh196.63, kerosene at Ksh152.78 — even after a VAT cut from 13% to 8%.
Kenyans are hurting. Politicians are pointing fingers.
But Oburu’s message cuts through the noise: politicians are not investigators. Due process must run its course.
Whether the two CSs survive or fall, one thing is certain — the fuel saga is far from over.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua