Former Cabinet Secretary for Sports and Culture Rashid Echesa has been arrested by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) officials and taken into custody.
Amina Mohammed’s predecessor had a rough 2019 and it seems 2020 has a no different dish to serve to him. It is not yet clear what Echesa has been arrested for but he was taken to DCI offices for questioning.
This is not the first time the former CS has rubbed shoulders with the law.
After his sacking, he was connected to a case where police discovered fake gold and fake money amounting to Ksh 32 billion in a house in Ruiru. It was discovered that the house was registered under his name.
On several instances, he was also linked to Joseph Waswa, the man who once impersonated President Uhuru Kenyatta. Waswa and six other accomplices were also linked to the fake gold saga.
During his time as CS, the former CS was in the spotlight when the government deported eight Pakistani dancers who were supposed to perform at Balle Balle Club in Parklands, Nairobi.
It later emerged in court that it is the CS who wrote to the Immigration Department asking it to issue them with special passes. He defended himself, saying he wrote the letter to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries.
On another occasion, Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala accused Echesa of being behind the posting of photoshopped nude photos showing him in bed with a woman.
Malala claimed that Echesa had sent the photos to some journalists instructing them to crop in Malala’s face. According to Malala, Echesa sent the photos directly to his personal cell.
Read>> Rashid Echesa: Class Seven Dropout’s Public Gaffes Cost Him Cabinet Job
Echesa’s reign at the Ministry of Sports was short and drama-filled as was constantly rubbing shoulders with Kenya’s political bigwigs. He was deeply involved in the politics of the land and this angered the president who later had enough and showed him the door late February 2019.
During his time at the cabinet, he proved to be a staunch ally of deputy president William Ruto and was constantly attacking former Prime Minister in his public speeches. At the time, his ministry was in shackles but he insisted on concentrating on politics more than the Ministry.
Despite having played a significant role in Jubilee campaigns in Western Kenya, the former ODM youth leader’s academic credentials were put into question. In his CV, which he submitted to the National Assembly Committee on Appointments, the sacked CS did not reveal the schools he attended. Rumour has it that he is a class seven drop out.
Echesa’s sacking from the cabinet was seen coming as he continuously attacked Raila Odinga who was already close to the president at the time. The former CS continued to dabble in politics even after his appointment to Cabinet despite numerous warnings from the President to his ministers.
He used various forums to hit out at former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and even at one time claimed the Opposition chief, who had mended fences with Uhuru through the famous handshake. It seemed like he was asking for the sacking.
The number of times Echesa attended to ministry matters pales against the number of occasions he appeared at public rallies in Western Kenya issuing on salvo after another. While the ministry he led was in shackles, Echesa held that the ministry did not have funds to finance sports federations. Due to his poor record, the government plotted to transfer the Sports Fund to the National Treasury.
