Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i dismissed claims that he is a political project of former President Uhuru Kenyatta in his quest for presidency in 2027.
He added he is yet to align himself with any political party as he continues to consult across the political spectrum.
Speaking during an exclusive interview on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Matiang’i maintained that his current political path, in his bid to attain the country’s top seat in 2027, remains open to collaborations with any like-minded party.
He said it is still too early to choose a side, even amid multiple reports of various political parties keen on having him as their presidential flagbearer, as this would disadvantage his efforts to garner enough support across the country.
“I am in consultations with a number of political parties and a number of political leaders across the board. I honestly think that if I made a choice now and stuck to one political party, I would disadvantage the others with whom we are having a discussion,” he said.
Matiang’i, who served in three different portfolios during Uhuru’s 10-year tenure, reiterated that being a close ally of the former President did not outrightly make him his puppet, since the retired Head of State also worked with many other leaders who are even serving in the current administration.
He went on to pour cold water on the narrative, arguing that he had not even sought the endorsement of the ex-President about his presidential ambitions.
“There are things that people tell you that, when you sit back and analyse them, they won’t make sense even to a fool. It is an indelible historical fact that Uhuru appointed me to his Cabinet and I served in his Cabinet for 10 years in three portfolios,” said Matiang’i.
“Cumulatively, for the 10 years he was President, he appointed close to 30 or so people to his Cabinet. Some of them are still serving to this day. Others have risen to other functions. Am I a project by deed of the fact that I served in Uhuru’s Cabinet? And if it is a question of service, why not ask me if I am a project of the World Bank because I have just come from the World Bank?”
“I have not asked him (Uhuru) whether I should run or not, but we discuss other Kenyan affairs every time we have an opportunity.”
Matiang’i similarly noted that he is still engaging in broad consultations and would only make a final decision on his political vehicle after engaging with a wide range of Kenyans.
He divulged that several parties have approached him with requests to work together ahead of the 2027 elections.
“I would rather have sufficient conversations and discussions with Kenyans across the board before I finally say this is the format I would like to represent myself to the IEBC. You will hear more associating themselves with me and in fact, this afternoon I’m meeting a political party which is asking if we can work together. And I have been asked this by about seven to eight parties,” he said.
“It is flattering that we have political leaders in so many political parties sitting down in their Executive committees saying maybe Matiang’i should be our captain even before I ask them, and they are asking me, can you become our candidate? I don’t want to close the door on anyone, I want to have very comprehensive, inclusive and exhaustive discussions with everyone, then we come together and work on a coalition.”
He reiterated the importance of unity ahead of the next General Election, opining that no single party will form government on its own in the current democratic climate.
“We are better off as a country when we work together,” he said.
The remarks by Matiang’i come months after the Jubilee Party threw its weight behind him as their preferred presidential candidate, with political commentators terming him a project of the former Head of State.
Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni said the endorsement positioned Matiang’i as a frontrunner for the political outfit’s official flagbearer, setting the stage for fierce competition within the opposition for the 2027 presidential ticket.
“We’ve settled on Matiangi as our candidate. Not to mean that he becomes an eventual presidential candidate but a presidential candidate within the party who would then join others in coming up with one person, who I believe as a coalition, we will be able to back,” Kioni said in February this year.
He at the same time weighed in on last year’s Gen Z-led demonstrations that saw protesters breach Parliament, citing that the protests would have taken a different trajectory had he been occupying the security docket.
Matiang’i stated that while the right to protest is enshrined under the law, there must be limits when public order and national security are at stake.
The former CS also maintained that he would have utilised information from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to determine the best course of action before the protests by inviting the Gen Zs to engage in discussions and provide solutions.
He added that the distinction between peaceful and chaotic protests lies in the nature and structure of demonstrations, pointing out that the recently held Gen Z protests were peaceful and well-organised, while past opposition demonstrations posed greater threats. “If you were to write a manifesto out of the Gen Z uprising, you would outline several things; one is that Gen Zs voice is not being heard. Time is here for the leaders to have conversations with young people about their issues,” he noted.
“What I would have done differently: it would not have happened under my watch. How would it have gotten to a point that there’s a rampage in town, Parliament is overrun? Since 1963, this has never happened before, instruments of power are carted away and we did not know that it was coming?”
According to Matiang’i, he would have formed an inquest to determine the issues posed by the Gen Zs to ensure that they would not have gone to the streets.
“It’s not a surprise accident, it’s something that ought to have been known. I know the NIS capacity, but I know they must have known it would happen. I expected the government to orchestrate an all-party inquiry to answer the question of what happened,” he remarked.
“After it happened, the President’s second statement was hopeful, even I thought he should be given an opportunity as he had solutions. Clearly, it hasn’t happened and we had another riot. I don’t know what will be done to avert the next one.”
He recalled the tense environment during his tenure, pointing out that security agencies were battling terrorism threats, especially in Coastal regions.
“In 2017, it was a different story. We had information that the nature of such protests would cause chaos into businesses,” he said, adding that the government at the time had to remain vigilant, especially following attacks like the 2019 Dusit complex incident.
He also weighed in on the cases of police brutality during his reign, whereby reports of police excesses were recorded during the opposition-led protests.
Alluding to this, Matiang’i noted that some officers violate the law individually, citing that during demonstrations, there are established rules for conflict management that guide officers’ actions.
He acknowledged that the ministry was transparent and took responsibility where necessary.
“We don’t train police to kill citizens. The theory of policing is for the preservation of law and order. That doesn’t mean individual police officers can go above the responsibilities they have. Police have standing orders. When riots have happened, there are rules of conflict management.”