Salim Swaleh, who is a former Director of Press Service in the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, is seen asking for forgiveness from his boss.
The former Citizen TV news anchor left the media house and accepted an invitation to work for the government.
In a social media video seen by ONPoint News, the emotional Swaleh said that he broke an unmatched trust that was built over the years and he is sorry for the actions that have left him devastated, unemployed, and battling a lawsuit.
“Your Excellency, you have been my father figure for the longest time that I’ve known you. We’ve built an unmatched trust between us and for the last one and a half I have served you, served your good office, and served you with unmatched zeal. I broke the trust and I’m so sorry about it. I’m truly remorseful about it,” he said in the video.
What Happened?
Swaleh and five others allegedly conspired to defraud KSh 5.8 million from a consultancy company, while working at the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary.
According to the charge sheet, they falsely pretended they were in a position to secure a tender for the construction of two stadia in Kenya.
Salim Swaleh and his accomplices were granted a cash bail of KSh 400,000 each. Milimani principal magistrate Ben Mark Ekhubi granted the six cash bail and directed them to report to the investigating officer once a week.
They have also directed the suspects to deposit their passports and warned against interfering with witnesses in the case.
The five include Otieno Japolo Michael, Terry Kemunto Sese, Daniel Omondi Gogo, John Musundi Wabomba and James William Mokoha.
Salim’s Admission
Swaleh admits that life has been difficult since and he’s been unable to walk outside his home and even contemplated suicide at some point.
“The last month has been so difficult for me. I’ve been unable to even walk out because of the kind of publicity I received, everything people said about me just threw me into some unchartered territory. A lot of things have been running in my mind, very bad things, sometimes I feel like taking my own life,” he stated.
“It’s the end month, bills are piling up, salary stopped abruptly, I have loans, please find it in your heart to forgive me,” he said.
“Secondly, please help end this so that I can pick up the small pieces left and see where I can begin. With the kind of bad publicity I got, it is almost impossible to get another place to work. Please have mercy on me.”
The former Swahili TV anchor adds that he lost everything and that bills have also been piling up. He noted that his salary stopped immediately and he has loans that need servicing with no one to turn to.
Social media was divided on the issue with some pitying him while others feeling that he had it coming. The video has since been shared across platforms and has been the talking point the whole day. His former boss and colleagues are yet to make a statement on the statement.
Mudavadi Appoints a New Director
Prime Cabinet Secretary, Musalia Mudavadi, has moved on from the scandal and picked a new person for the job. Jacob Ng’etich, a former journalist at Nation Media and the Standard Group. is his new Director of Press Service.
Ng’etich comes into the office with two decades of experience in news reporting and political analysis. He will be in charge of communications at Mudavadi’s executive office and his role as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs.
Ng’etich already reported to his new station and has been sharing press releases from Musalia’s office.
