Kgosi, Khama relationship: Most feared duo back together
Staff Writer | Friday June 22, 2018 18:00
Khama adorned his long time bosom confidante, Colonel Isaac Kgosi with the award of Presidential Order of Honour.
The award is given to a citizen who has rendered efficient and devoted service to Botswana.
The fact that Khama honoured Kgosi at the 11-hour of his presidency demonstrated their close relationship and most importantly showed that the president anticipated the fate of the spy boss under his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi.
Khama and Kgosi have come a long way. After being inaugurated as the fourth President in April 2008, Khama’s most significant appointment, following Mompati Merafhe’s vice presidency, retired Brigadier Ndelu Seretse to Minister for Defence, Justice and Security, and Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Kitso Mokaila, also former soldier (before replacing him with his brother Tshekedi Khama), was to appoint his then personal secretary, Kgosi to head the new national intelligence service, DIS.
As director general, Kgosi reported directly to Khama without any statutory provision for parliamentary review. Parliament only learnt of this at the end of Khama’s administration during the National Petroleum Fund (NPF) corruption probe.
After the controversial appointment as chief spy, Khama let Kgosi do as he pleased. Despite widely reported corruption scandal after scandal and probes by the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Kgosi remained untouchable under Khama’s administration.
It took a whole new administration to finally unplug Kgosi and show him the door.
So, his appointment to the former president’s office therefore could be seen as an extension of the feared ‘chief-skwata’ gang that was crucial to Khama’s administration. It therefore stands to be seen how President Masisi will deal with the duo if they get back together.