A Fred Matiang’i Presidency Would Be Kenya’s Worst Gamble — Justice Maraga Offers a Brighter Path

By Fred Allan Nyankuru. 

Kenya today stands at a pivotal crossroads. The citizens are disillusioned by broken promises, battered by a harsh economy, and betrayed by leaders who treat power as an entitlement rather than a sacred duty. In this moment of deep national pain, the temptation to grasp at any “strong” alternative is understandable. But it is precisely now that we must think with our heads, not just our hearts.

A Fred Matiang’i presidency would not be the change Kenya needs. It would be the final nail in the coffin of our dreams for true democracy and justice.

The Spectre of Death, Suffering, and Brutality

Dr. Fred Matiang’i’s record as Interior Cabinet Secretary paints a chilling picture. His reign was marred by high-handedness, brutal policing, enforced disappearances, and widespread human rights abuses. Under his watch, the security forces became feared instruments of repression rather than protectors of the people.

Imagine, then, what a Matiang’i presidency would unleash. It would formalize state violence. It would institutionalize fear. A Kenya under Matiang’i would be a Kenya where protest is crushed, dissent is criminalized, and citizens live under the constant threat of the night knock on the door. We do not need to guess. The evidence is already written in blood and tears.

The Return of the Uhuru Kenyatta Economic Plunder

Even more worrying is the fact that Matiang’i remains deeply entangled with the same political and business elites who looted Kenya’s economy during the Uhuru Kenyatta years. The ballooning debt; The white elephant projects; The capture of critical institutions; The entrenchment of elite cartels.

Matiang’i was no innocent bystander. He was a chief enforcer for that regime, ensuring that critics were silenced while systemic theft continued unchallenged. If elected, Matiang’i would be nothing more than a proxy, a trojan horse smuggling back the same corrupt forces that hollowed out Kenya’s future.

We must ask ourselves: Why are the tycoons and political oligarchs so eager to back him? Because they see in him not a leader of change, but a protector of their criminal legacy.

What Kenya urgently requires today is not another strongman with a clenched fist, but a steady, principled, and moral hand to guide the nation back from the brink. In this regard, former Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga stands out as a far more promising figure. Justice Maraga is not perfect—no leader is—but he embodies qualities Kenya desperately needs:

Respect for the Constitution and the Rule of Law: As Chief Justice, he defended judicial independence with courage, even when it meant standing against the most powerful forces in the land—which included Dr Fred Matiang’i.

Moral Integrity: Maraga’s reputation for personal honesty and public accountability remains intact, untouched by the stench of corruption that engulfs so many others.

Calm and Controlled Leadership: In an era of noisy and chaotic politics, Maraga offers a cool, thoughtful, and steady presence—a rare and precious commodity.

Courage Under Pressure: Few can forget the historic moment when Maraga’s Supreme Court nullified a presidential election—an act of bravery and fidelity to the law unmatched in Africa’s judicial history.

Kenya needs healing. Kenya needs reconciliation. Kenya needs leadership rooted in conscience, not coercion.

We Must Not Gamble With Our Future

Electing Fred Matiang’i would not be boldness—it would be recklessness. It would not be wisdom—it would be folly. It would be choosing death over life, fear over freedom, and tyranny over hope. It would be an open invitation for the corrupt past to reclaim the future. We must be wise enough to reject easy slogans of “strength” and “decisiveness” when they come wrapped in the rags of repression and economic betrayal.

Our next election cycle must not just be about replacing faces. It must be about replacing philosophies. Replacing impunity with accountability. Replacing fear with freedom. Replacing theft with stewardship.

Fred Matiang’i symbolizes the worst of our political past: brutality, impunity, and betrayal. Justice Maraga offers a glimpse of a better future: justice, fairness, and true constitutionalism.

Kenya must choose hope over horror. Healing over hurting. Wisdom over wrath. We must not allow anger at Ruto to blind us into crowning Matiang’i. We must not trade one nightmare for another. We must demand better. We must be better. The cost of getting it wrong now is simply too high.

Kenya Must Not Make a Mistake It Will Regret: Reject Matiang’i and Demand True Leadership

Kenyans are justifiably frustrated. The high cost of living, perceived governmental aloofness, a battered economy, and the feeling of betrayal by those in power have created a storm of discontent. It is natural—and necessary—to seek change. But change is only useful if it is real change, not just the reshuffling of faces from the same rotten pack.

In our frustration with President Ruto, we must not make the fatal error of turning to Dr. Fred Matiang’i—a man whose record and associations should immediately disqualify him from serious consideration. We must remember that Matiang’i is not an outsider. He is not a fresh alternative. He is deeply woven into the fabric of the very system that has brought Kenya to its knees.

Matiang’i served in the heart of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration—a regime that plunged the country into staggering debt, stifled dissent, weaponized institutions, and hollowed out the economy. The Kenyatta era was marked by gross mismanagement, corruption, and rampant disregard for civil liberties. State capture became normalized. Projects ballooned into billion-shilling scandals. Freedom of the press shrank. Public trust evaporated.

Matiang’i was not a victim of that system. He was a powerful enforcer of it. As Interior Cabinet Secretary, he was the hard fist behind the smiling political elite. When the government needed orders to be enforced without question, they turned to Matiang’i. If we were dissatisfied with the regime he served, how then can we now hand him the entire machinery of power? That would be wilful blindness.

It should concern every thinking Kenyan that Matiang’i’s rumoured backers include former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the same political tycoons who looted and bled this country for decades.

Are we truly naïve enough to believe that such figures are supporting Matiang’i because they have found sudden patriotism? No. They see him as a reliable pawn, someone they can work with to preserve their power, protect their ill-gotten wealth, and insulate themselves from accountability. When corrupt tycoons rally behind a candidate, it is not a revolution. It is an insurance policy. It is a deal cut in the shadows, at the expense of the common citizen. Electing Matiang’i under such circumstances would not just be another mistake. It would be a knowing, deliberate act of national self-harm.

Kenya does not need a heavy hand, a loud voice, or a master of force. Kenya needs a gentler hand, a cooler head, and a wiser heart at the helm. We need a leader who respects institutions, not one who overpowers them. A leader who listens, not one who commands. A leader who inspires dialogue, not fear.

In this regard, the interest shown by former Chief Justice D.K Maraga—or leaders of his moral calibre—is a far more promising sign for Kenya. Such individuals embody a commitment to the Constitution, to judicial independence, to human rights, and to the spirit of democracy. They are calm, principled, and not beholden to the corrupt oligarchs of our political past.

Leadership is not about barking orders and showcasing strength. It is about guiding a nation toward justice, dignity, and shared prosperity. Kenya deserves—and desperately needs—a president who will heal, not harden, the national spirit.

We have seen this movie before: frustration leads to reckless choices. Disillusionment opens the door to strongmen. But Kenyans must resist this trap.

Choosing Fred Matiang’i because we are angry at Ruto would be like jumping from a crumbling bridge into a raging river. It would be a mistake so glaring, so inexcusable, that history would judge it harshly.

We owe it to ourselves, and to generations to come, to act not out of emotion, but out of sober, deliberate wisdom. We must demand better—not just different. We must remember that not all change is progress. Some change is just another step toward deeper chaos.

Our frustration is valid. Our hunger for change is righteous. But let us not poison our own future by making impulsive decisions fuelled by bitterness.

Fred Matiang’i represents the continuation of a broken system—camouflaged behind efficiency and strength. His support base signals a return to elite capture and backroom deals that have always left ordinary Kenyans poorer and voiceless.

Kenya needs a different spirit now. A calmer hand. A stronger soul. A leadership of principles, not merely power. We must aim higher. We must demand better. And above all, we must never again elect leaders whose history warns us so clearly against trusting them.

We cannot afford Matiang’i. Not now. Not ever.

Not a Smear Campaign, Just the Truth: Fred Matiang’i’s Candidacy Should Be Feared and Rejected

In the wake of increasing public disillusionment with President William Ruto’s administration, murmurs of a possible political alternative have begun to gain traction. Among the names floating in elite boardrooms and backroom political negotiations is that of Dr. Fred Matiang’i—former Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government. To some, he is a man of action; to others, a strong hand in chaotic times. But to those who value democracy, human rights, and constitutional order, Fred Matiang’i represents something far more sinister: a figure whose track record should not only disqualify him from the presidency but raise red flags about the future of the nation.

Let it be said clearly and without apology: this is not a smear campaign. It is a factual, unfiltered reminder of who Matiang’i is and what he did when he held power. It is not hate—it is history.

One of the most dangerous myths being sold to the Kenyan public is that Matiang’i’s heavy-handedness is a sign of strength, of decisive leadership. This narrative deliberately ignores the grim reality that his approach to governance was riddled with impunity, repression, and state-sponsored terror.

Under his stewardship of the interior ministry, Kenyans witnessed a frightening escalation in enforced disappearances, unexplained deaths, and the normalization of extrajudicial executions. These weren’t rumours; they were documented by civil society groups, media houses, and even international human rights organizations. Bodies would appear in forests, rivers, and alleys, victims of a security apparatus that operated without accountability. No credible investigations. No prosecutions. Just silence and fear.

A man who oversaw such atrocities should not be elevated—he should be interrogated. Choosing Matiang’i as a successor to Ruto is not progress. It is not justice. It is a pivot from one form of predation to another. It is choosing to be eaten by a lion instead of a hyena—both are predators, just dressed differently.

Secondly, leadership in a democracy demands a deep respect for institutions, especially the judiciary. Yet Matiang’i’s time in office was marred by his blatant disregard for court orders. He was involved in the illegal deportation of opposition figures, the continued detention of individuals despite court rulings, and the use of state machinery to frustrate the course of justice. Time and again, courts ordered his ministry to comply with the law, and time and again, those orders were ignored or challenged with arrogance.

This is not a man who respects the boundaries of power—this is someone who believes power is a weapon to be used, not a responsibility to be honoured. Elevating such a person to the presidency is not a solution to Kenya’s current problems. It is a prescription for constitutional collapse.

The Danger of Sanitizing His Record

There is a growing and concerning effort by some quarters to rehabilitate Matiang’i’s image—to paint him as a victim of political persecution or as a misunderstood patriot. This revisionist agenda is not only intellectually dishonest; it is dangerous. It seeks to erase the lived experiences of victims of police brutality, the families of the disappeared, and those who stood in courtrooms begging for justice that never came.

This is not about personalities. This is about precedent. If Kenya can overlook such a troubling record for the sake of “stability” or “efficiency,” then it opens the door for future tyrants to do the same, knowing that the public will eventually forget or forgive. We must resist this temptation to forget. We must not allow fear of the present to lead us blindly into a more terrifying future.

To be clear, disappointment in President Ruto’s administration is real and justified. The high cost of living, the erosion of public trust, and the sense of betrayal many feel are deeply valid. But we must not let our frustration drive us into the arms of someone whose record is just as—if not more—problematic.

Replacing Ruto with Matiang’i is not changing the system; it is changing the face of oppression. It is swapping one predator for another, one who might speak less and strike faster. The problem is not just the hyena; the problem is the belief that the lion will be any less hungry.

Kenya needs more than regime change. It needs character change. It needs a leadership ethos that is grounded in justice, in accountability, and in the protection of human dignity. Matiang’i, for all his administrative efficiency, has not demonstrated these values. He has demonstrated control, coercion, and constitutional contempt.

In a time when the public is desperate for alternatives, there is a real risk of mistaking the familiar for the trustworthy, the assertive for the wise, and the brutal for the strong. But history has shown us—time and again—that states fall not just because of bad rulers, but because good people remained silent or made choices based on fear instead of principle.

Fred Matiang’i’s record is not just a matter of political opinion. It is a matter of public record. To ignore it, to sanitize it, or to defend it under the guise of “strength” is to play Russian roulette with our democratic future.

This is not character assassination. This is character revelation. And once revealed, we must act. At the ballot, at the debate table, in civil discourse—we must reject authoritarianism in all its forms and guises. Because the next time we find ourselves crying out against injustice, we may discover that we handed power to the very hand that now silences us.

Fred Matiang’i and the Perils of Power: Why His Past Casts Doubt on His Presidential Suitability

In the constantly evolving landscape of Kenyan politics, leadership is no longer just about charisma, credentials, or political affiliations—it is fundamentally about character, accountability, and respect for democratic institutions. As names continue to emerge as possible contenders for the highest office in the land, it is crucial that we scrutinize not only the promises of these individuals but more importantly, their track records. One such figure who has stirred both fear and admiration in equal measure is former Cabinet Secretary for Interior and Coordination of National Government, Dr. Fred Matiang’i.

While some hail Matiang’i as a no-nonsense enforcer of government policy and a diligent administrator, a closer inspection of his tenure at the Ministry of Interior paints a starkly different picture—one that should raise serious concerns about his suitability for the presidency. His period in office was marked by allegations of impunity, state-sanctioned brutality, enforced disappearances, and a blatant disregard for judicial authority. These are not the hallmarks of a democratic leader; they are the warning signs of authoritarianism.

Under Matiang’i’s watch, Kenya witnessed a disturbing resurgence of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances. Human rights watchdogs, civil society organizations, and concerned citizens consistently raised alarm over the unexplained abductions of individuals by security agents, only for some of these victims to reappear as corpses dumped in rivers or remote thickets. These are not isolated incidents; they represent a chilling pattern of state-sponsored terror that recalls the darkest chapters of Kenya’s history.

It is worth noting that these actions were not carried out in the shadows. Many of them occurred in broad daylight, with eyewitness accounts and video footage documenting the abductions. Yet, the Ministry of Interior under Matiang’i remained silent or dismissive. There was no accountability, no genuine investigation, and no justice for the victims and their families. In a country with a history of political violence and systemic oppression, this silence was deafening and deeply telling.

One of the foundational pillars of any democratic society is the rule of law. Leaders are expected not only to follow the law but also to uphold the independence and integrity of the judiciary. Matiang’i repeatedly failed this test.

During his time as Interior Cabinet Secretary, there were several high-profile cases where court orders were flagrantly ignored or undermined. Whether it was in the illegal deportation of opposition figures, the denial of bail to activists despite court rulings, or the continued detention of individuals contrary to legal instructions, Matiang’i’s ministry exhibited a dangerous contempt for the judiciary.

This behaviour is more than just administrative defiance—it is a signal of a leader who does not recognize limits to power. A president with such a record is likely to erode the delicate balance between branches of government, paving the way for an imperial presidency unchecked by law or reason.

Leadership reveals a person’s true character, especially when placed in positions of immense power. Matiang’i was handed one of the most powerful dockets in the government, controlling the police force, the provincial administration, and internal security. Rather than using this power to promote safety, cohesion, and justice, he presided over an administration that weaponized the state against dissenting voices.

This centralization of power, often justified under the guise of maintaining order, is a classic hallmark of authoritarian regimes. If such tendencies were evident while he was still answerable to a sitting president, what would stop him from being even more autocratic as the president himself?

Kenya’s future lies in the hands of leaders who respect institutions, protect civil liberties, and are accountable to the people. The country cannot afford to recycle leaders whose past is riddled with violations of human rights, constitutional breaches, and administrative tyranny.

Fred Matiang’i’s record is not one that inspires confidence in democratic progress. Instead, it serves as a cautionary tale of what happens when power is placed in the hands of individuals who see dissent as a threat, not a right; who see court orders as obstacles, not safeguards; and who view state power as a tool for coercion rather than service.

As citizens, we must demand better. We must not be swayed by tough talk or bureaucratic efficiency alone. Leadership is about integrity, justice, and service. In these vital areas, Fred Matiang’i has consistently fallen short.

The presidency is not a reward for loyal service or a culmination of bureaucratic success—it is a sacred trust granted by the people to one who will protect their freedoms, uphold their dignity, and respect the rule of law. Based on his past conduct, Fred Matiang’i does not meet this standard. His tenure as Interior Cabinet Secretary reveals a man more inclined toward authoritarian control than democratic governance. To entrust him with the presidency would be to risk repeating the painful mistakes of our past.

Kenya deserves better. The people deserve a leader, not a ruler.