Kenya Must Reject Fred Matiang’i and Embrace Leadership of Conscience

By Fred Allan Nyankuru

When Dr. Fred Matiang’i recently emerged to comment on the brutal murder of a teacher and blogger, calling for justice and accountability, his words were met not with applause, but with widespread public backlash. Kenyans, in their sharp collective memory, reminded him of the many lives lost, bruised, or broken under his own tenure as Cabinet Secretary for Interior.

From the horrific bodies retrieved from River Yala, to the Kianjokoma brothers killed by police, to the countless incidents of state brutality, enforced disappearances, and judicial disregard, Matiang’i’s legacy is etched not in reform or compassion, but in blood and intimidation. And now, this same man seeks to re-enter the public sphere not just as a commentator—but as a potential presidential contender? We must say No—firmly, clearly, and finally.

While time moves on, truth remains stubborn. The Kenyan people are not forgetful. They are forgiving, yes—but not to be taken for fools. Dr. Matiang’i presided over one of the most oppressive internal security regimes in Kenya’s recent history.

Under his watch: Judges were threatened, and court orders routinely disobeyed; activists disappeared, and some reappeared in rivers or forests—lifeless; police impunity was shielded, not reformed; freedom of assembly and protest was criminalized, particularly for those critical of the state.

These are not allegations pulled from political opponents. These are facts burned into the memory of citizens and families who lost sons and daughters to police boots and bullets. And when Matiang’i now speaks the language of justice, the nation recoils—for he was once its chief abuser.

Let us be clear: President Ruto’s administration has deeply disappointed many Kenyans. From economic hardship, tax burdens, growing inequality, and institutional fatigue, the national mood is rightfully angry and restless. But in our desperation for change, we must not be manipulated into replacing a struggling regime with an unapologetic tyrant. That would be like choosing to be devoured by a lion instead of a hyena.

It is not progress if we move from mismanagement to dictatorship; It is not reform if we shift from incompetence to cruelty; And it is not justice if we replace impunity with even greater impunity. We must ask ourselves: Is Matiang’i really a better option—or just a recycled error dressed in new rhetoric?

Matiang’i does not stand alone. Behind his name loom the shadows of the very political tycoons who bankrupted Kenya economically and morally. He remains tightly associated with former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime, where public debt soared, national resources were looted, and institutions became pawns for elite interests. Matiang’i was no bystander. He was a willing, vocal, and zealous foot soldier in that system. He obeyed and enforced that order, no matter the cost to citizens.

Now that same old guard—rattled by shifting allegiances—seeks to repackage him as an independent saviour, hoping Kenyans will be too tired, too angry, or too naive to remember. But Kenya remembers. And this time, Kenya must refuse to be tricked again.

There is a better path. It is quieter, perhaps less flashy—but far more stable, wise, and rooted in principle. Former Chief Justice David Kenani Maraga is one such man, in my view. He is not a tribal strongman, not a pawn of billionaires, and not a career politician. Instead, he is a man who stood for the independence of the judiciary. A leader who fearlessly nullified a presidential election in defence of electoral justice. A devout and principled statesman whose life and leadership has inspired trust, decency, and hope. Maraga is not a media creation. He is a product of discipline, integrity, and courage.

If the people of Kisii—and Kenyans at large—must look toward one of their own for national redemption, let it be Maraga, not Matiang’i. One offers healing; the other reminds us of pain.

Let us call this what it is: a test of our national wisdom. Are we so desperate that we would entrust our future to a man who oversaw our suffering? Are we so short-sighted that we would allow the very oligarchs who looted us to return disguised as our redeemers? We must not let anger blind our judgment. And we must not let media-manufactured myths bury the truth we already know. Fred Matiang’i is not our future. He is our past, haunting us in new packaging.

Let us turn instead toward leaders of conscience, restraint, justice, and national unity. Let us rise, not regress. Let us choose wisely, not react emotionally.

Let us say clearly and loudly:

Matiang’i is not fit to lead this nation.

Kenya deserves better.

And in Chief Justice Emeritus David Maraga, we may just have that better path—rooted in principle, governed by humility, and guided by justice.

I’m glad Kenyans can remember, clearly, everything Matiang’i is.