Cabinet friction: CS Alice Wahome demands public apology from health CS Aden Duale

In an unprecedented move demonstrating growing internal friction within President William Ruto’s Cabinet, Lands, Public Works, Housing, and Urban Development Cabinet Secretary Alice Wahome has publicly rebuked her colleague, Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. 

Wahome demanded that he retract comments directed at the Kikuyu community and offer an unreserved apology.

The public fallout marks CS Wahome as the first sitting member of the Cabinet to openly call out Duale over statements that critics have condemned as ethnically inciteful.

This  rift came after CS Duale made remarks during an address in Mandera County, which sparked widespread outrage among political leaders and members of the public.

Opposition leaders, including Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and People's Liberation Party (PLP) Leader Martha Karua, as well as several senators, voiced strong criticism, accusing Duale of stoking ethnic division and calling for his retraction or resignation.

Despite the mounting political pressure and an ongoing review by the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC), Duale remained defiant. 

Defending his stance, Duale maintained that his remarks were taken out of context and rejected calls to apologize, arguing that other political figures had made far worse statements without facing similar backlash.

Disagreeing sharply with Duale's justification, CS Alice Wahome took to social media to reprimand her Cabinet colleague directly. 

In a statement shared on X (formerly Twitter), Wahome condemned Duale’s refusal to apologize, stating that attempting to justify offensive comments by citing others' mistakes was unacceptable.

"Two wrongs don't make a right, and only a fool does not change his or her mind," Wahome stated, emphasizing that Duale’s rhetoric had "brought out the worst" in him.

Wahome insisted that Duale must retract the statements in their entirety and "apologize profusely" to the affected community to mitigate rising political and social tension.

The open disagreement between two senior Cabinet Ministers highlights the delicate balance within the Executive as political figures navigate heightened scrutiny surrounding national cohesion.

While CS Duale continues to defend his position and await the outcome of NCIC investigations, CS Wahome’s public intervention signals that inflammatory political rhetoric even from within the highest ranks of government will meet firm resistance from within.