Former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa has strongly rejected claims by Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale that she struggled to read and understand Cabinet papers, accusing her former colleague of using the remarks to attack and belittle her politically.
Duale had claimed that he sat next to Jumwa during Cabinet meetings and would at times help her read and explain documents presented to the Cabinet. He also alleged that she sometimes had difficulty explaining matters contained in the papers, forcing him to step in.
Jumwa, however, dismissed the claims and accused Duale of hypocrisy, insisting that she was fully capable of understanding and handling Cabinet business.
“I sat with you at the Cabinet, and there was no day you talked to me save for one day,” she said.
The former CS recalled an incident involving former Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, saying Duale confronted her after she accompanied Joho to meet President William Ruto.
Jumwa said she took Joho to see Ruto in the evening and that Duale raised the matter during a Cabinet sitting the following day.
“I took him (ex-governor Ali Hassan Joho) to the President in the evening, and the following day we had a Cabinet sitting, and that day you talked to me with a lot of anger and pain, asking me why I took the governor to Ruto,” she said.
According to Jumwa, Duale became angry during the confrontation and insulted her when she attempted to explain why she had taken Joho to meet the President.
“You insulted me, and when I wanted to explain myself, you dismissed me,” Jumwa said.
The latest exchange comes amid growing political differences between the two former Cabinet colleagues, with Jumwa taking a more active role in the political contest over the Coast region ahead of the 2027 General Election.
Duale made his latest remarks in Mombasa on Saturday, August 15, while criticising Jumwa over her political links with former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka.
He also questioned Jumwa's decision to work with Kalonzo as he called on Mombasa residents to register as voters and take part in the 2027 election.
Jumwa rejected the suggestion that political leaders from outside the region could dictate the direction Coast residents should take, saying the region had its own leaders who could decide who to support.
“You will not direct the Coast region on where to vote. The Coast has its leaders. If you think Coast has no leader, I am there for them,” she said.
The former CS's political journey began at the grassroots level, where she was first elected councillor for Takaungu Ward in Kilifi in 1997. She retained the position in 2002 and later became chairperson of Kilifi Town Council.
She moved into national politics in 2007 when she unsuccessfully contested the Bahari parliamentary seat.
In 2013, Jumwa won the Kilifi County Women Representative seat on an Orange Democratic Movement ticket. Four years later, she was elected MP for Malindi and also became a commissioner of the Parliamentary Service Commission.
Her political path later changed following the political realignment that followed the 2018 handshake between former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga.
Jumwa moved closer to then Deputy President William Ruto and later joined the United Democratic Alliance. She contested the Kilifi governorship in 2022 but lost to Gideon Mung'aro.
She was subsequently appointed to Cabinet by President Ruto, first serving as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action before later taking charge of the Gender, Culture, Arts and Heritage docket.
Her time in Cabinet came to an end in July 2024 after President Ruto dismissed Cabinet members.
Meanwhile, EALA MP Falhada Iman Dekow has criticised Duale's remarks, accusing him of using political disagreements to demean and ridicule a woman leader.
Dekow said political differences should not turn into personal attacks or attempts to humiliate leaders, arguing that every politician has a democratic right to choose their political side and support leaders of their choice.
The public exchange between Jumwa and Duale comes as political groups intensify their efforts to build support at the Coast ahead of the 2027 General Election, with competing leaders seeking to influence the region's political direction.