Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa has laughed off claims that he is a new figure in the political field, after shooting to fame following his nomination after the 2017 elections.
Speaking on Monday, he said that despite not having held any elective seat which has seen him appear like a political newbie to many, he has been in the game for long enough.
The former boxer narrated how he was elected the Party of National Unity (PNU) Chief Coordinator in Kakamega in 2006, before decamping to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where he made his way as the National Youth Leader.
"Nimekuwa kwa siasa for 15 years na 2006 nikachaguliwa Chief Coordinator wa PNU Kakamega, kisha nikajiunga na ODM nikapewa kiti ya National Youth Leader 2009 (I have been in politics for 15 years, since 2006, when I was elected the PNU Chief Coordinator in Kakamega. I later joined ODM in 2009 as the National Youth Leader)," he said.
Echesa was speaking on Radio Maisha's Bunge La Maisha show on Monday morning, where he also explained the factors that pushed him out of ODM and into the Jubilee Party in 2014.
He said that trickery and bias pushed him out after he was denied a parliamentarian appointment he had been promised by the party leader Raila Odinga as a reward for his loyalty.
He said that instead, the nominations were given to other people after the 2013 polls, which made it easy for Deputy President William Ruto to convince him into joining Jubilee.
"Niliondoka kwa sababu ya kutokuwa na usawa, Raila mwenyewe aliniambia nitapata kiti lakini list ikatoka na majina tofauti. Pia kulikuwa fujo eti tumekula pesa za chama. Mimi nikampigia Ruto, tukakutana kwake Sugoi na akaniconvince tumsaidie Uhuru arudi 2017," narrated Echesa
It loosely translates to in English: "I left due to bias after Raila personally promised me a seat only for the list of nominated persons to come with different names. There were also claims that we stole party monies. I later called Ruto, met him at his Sugoi home and he convinced me to lend a hand in helping Uhuru defend his seat in the 2017 polls)," he said.