Defiant MP blames sacking on Raila

By NATION correspondent
Posted Wednesday, August 18 2010 at 22:30

“I have no apologies for the position I took in the referendum campaigns,” former Environment minister Jackson Kiptanui said on Wednesday.

He blamed the sacking on the Prime Minister and his stand in the referendum campaign where he opposed the new law.

“It is unfortunate that although the two principals had promised not to victimise those who opposed the Constitution, one partner in the Coalition decided to victimise me for opposing the document,” Mr Kiptanui told journalists at his former office in Nairobi.

The Keiyo South MP was replaced with Prof Margaret Kamar as assistant minister for Environment and Mineral Resources in Monday’s mini Cabinet reshuffle.

However, the MP said he not been notified officially of the changes. “When the reshuffle was made and my name was omitted, I realised that a decision had been made and I had been replaced,” he said.

Mr Kiptanui becomes the second assistant minister to be sacked in the last three months after Mr Charles Keter (Belgut) was dropped from the Ministry of Energy.

The youthful MP said he had not met his predecessor. “I decided to hand-over to the Permanent Secretary. But I would like to welcome Prof Kamar,” he said.

The Environment ministry has two assistant ministers, the other being Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe. Mr Kiptanui said he will continue pushing push for amendments of the contentious issues in the new Constitution.