Aden Duale, the nominee for Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry Cabinet Secretary, has clarified the regulations regarding the use of military helicopters by public officials.
During his vetting, Duale addressed concerns about military aircraft usage, stating that it has drawn negative attention to him during his previous role in the ministry. He responded to a question regarding whether the Deputy President is permitted to use military helicopters, explaining that only the President and the First Lady have the authority to utilize such resources for official purposes.
Duale emphasized that the decision to allow others to use military aircraft rests solely with the Commander-in-Chief, who is the President. “Let me say this because it gave me a lot of bad publicity, but serving in public office comes with that,” he remarked.
He added, “The President and First Lady are the only individuals authorized to use military air assets. If the Commander-in-Chief permits the Speaker of the National Assembly to be airlifted from Nairobi to Bungoma, that is acceptable.”
There had previously been public speculation about the Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, being intentionally denied access to Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) helicopters, as he was spotted using commercial air transport during a trip to Mombasa while carrying his own luggage.
Duale was the second nominee to be vetted on Friday, following Andrew Karanja, who is nominated for the position of Agriculture Cabinet Secretary. The Committee on Appointments had vetted the first batch of five nominees on Thursday.
