Not All Progress Is Forward: Why Electing Fred Matiang’i Would Be a Catastrophic Step Backward for Kenya

By Fred Allan

In politics, the word progress is often used like a charm—a spell meant to lull citizens into believing that any shift from the present status quo is inherently good. But this is a dangerous illusion. Not all progress is positive. Not every new direction is forward. And certainly, not every powerful man in a suit is a reformer.

As Kenyans grow increasingly disillusioned with President William Ruto’s administration—a feeling that is understandable given the economic hardships and perceived disconnect from the people—the temptation to embrace any alternative can be strong. But in that moment of vulnerability, we must pause and think critically.

Fred Matiang’i is not the progress Kenya needs. He is the political reincarnation of a past we should be trying to escape—not return to.

Firstly, Matiang’i has long been hailed by some as a “strong leader,” an “efficient administrator,” and a man of “decisive action.” But let us not be fooled: efficiency without accountability is tyranny; decisiveness without justice is repression. 

His tenure as Interior Cabinet Secretary was defined by brutality, impunity, and flagrant disregard for judicial authority. From enforced disappearances to the erosion of civil liberties, Matiang’i’s rule of the security docket was not strength—it was state-sanctioned fear.

We must ask; if this is the kind of leadership he exercised with limited executive power, what should we expect if he is handed the entire presidency? That is not a vision of progress. That is a prescription for authoritarianism.

Secondly any serious observer of Kenyan politics will quickly note that Fred Matiang’i’s bid for the presidency is not fuelled by a grassroots movement of reform or public empowerment. It is being engineered—quietly and meticulously—by the very oligarchs who have bled Kenya dry.

The same political families and economic elites who orchestrated the grand plunder under Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration now seek a comeback through a more disciplined frontman. Matiang’i is their marionette. Their voice will be his voice. Their interests will be his agenda.

What, then, is the point of replacing one president with another if the puppet-masters remain the same? It is like repainting a rusting car and calling it a new model. It is superficial. It is deceitful. It is not progress.

Thirdly, Kenya’s future demands not another strongman but a strong moral compass. This is where former Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga presents a truly progressive alternative. Unlike Matiang’i, Maraga is not burdened by the baggage of elite networks or past regimes. He is not a creature of the system. He is a defender of its reform.

As Chief Justice, Maraga made bold decisions—guided by the Constitution, not political convenience. He respected the rule of law, upheld judicial independence, and demonstrated the courage to nullify a presidential election for the first time in African history. That was not just a legal act. It was a moral stand. It was statesmanship.

Maraga’s leadership would be firm, but fair. principled, but not passive. Decisive, but just. It is precisely the balance Kenya so desperately needs—a leader who can stand strong against corruption and injustice without trampling the rights of the people in the process.

Fourthly, it is not enough to simply seek change. The nature of the change must matter. Matiang’i represents change in the form of polished authoritarianism—order without justice, efficiency without empathy, and loyalty to power over loyalty to the people.

Maraga, on the other hand, symbolizes real transformation—governance guided by truth, transparency, and the rule of law. If we are to break free from the cycle of elite capture and public suffering, then we must support leaders who answer to the people, not to plutocrats hiding behind party colours and polished manifestos.

Finally, Kenya has suffered long enough from poor decisions made in haste. We cannot afford to confuse noise for leadership, or a firm grip for a visionary hand. We must reject the illusion that any alternative is better. That kind of resignation is what has kept us in a cycle of disappointment and disillusionment.

This time, we must be wise. We must choose real progress—not recycled power, not fear in a new uniform, not the strong arm of the same old puppet show.

Let us be clear-eyed and courageous. Because history will not just remember what we suffered—it will remember who we elected despite knowing better.

Fred Matiang’i is not the future. He is the continuation of a shameful past. He is the smiling face of the same cabal that has long viewed Kenya as its playground.

David Maraga, though quieter, offers a principled alternative rooted in justice, discipline, and devotion to the public good. That is the leadership Kenya needs now. Let us not confuse motion with direction. Not all progress is forward. And not all power is good. Kenya must rise—not with a clenched fist, but with a clear conscience.