Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i addresses scholars at Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka’s home in Machakos County on September 5, 2025.
Presidential hopeful Dr Fred Matiang’i is resisting pressure to declare his political party and position himself as a self-driven candidate independent of former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Dr Matiang’i dismissed the pressure as unwarranted and in poor taste, urging his critics to focus instead on holding President William Ruto’s administration accountable for what he described as a culture of lies, diversionary empowerment programs and unresolved past claims.
“You are not a prophet or a political genius...a sage who should dictate when political decisions should be made.I’m more interested in engaging leaders on ideas, not parties,” Dr Matiang’i said during a TV47 interview on September 17, 2025.
He added that energies currently directed at pressuring him would be better applied to pressing the Ruto administration to release investigative reports on past claims, including allegations that Mr Kenyatta regime plotted to assassinate Dr Ruto when he was Deputy President.
Dr Matiang’i said he would not rush to announce the political party under which he plans to contest the 2027 presidency.
He also challenged President Ruto to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged state capture during Kenyatta’s tenure (2013-2022), inviting those accused of wrongdoing to come forward and clear their names. He said he, alongside former President Kenyatta and former Interior CS Karanja Kibicho, would be ready to testify.
“We were accused of many things, including meeting in a hotel to scheme against Dr Ruto when he was Deputy President. Alongside the late General Francis Ogolla, we were accused of attempting to rig the 2022 election,” Dr Matiang’i told TV47.
He said the rumors were politically motivated and some colleagues were harassed or summoned by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to record statements.
A letter that circulated on social media claimed that Cabinet Secretaries and senior officials from the Mt Kenya region had plotted to eliminate Ruto before the 2022 elections. The DCI confirmed Dr Ruto reported his life was in danger, prompting an investigation.
The implicated leaders—Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya (Trade), Joseph Mucheru (ICT), Sicily Kariuki (Health) and James Macharia (Transport)—denied the allegations, stating they attended a meeting at Hotel La Mada on Thika Road, but the agenda was not to harm the then deputy president .
They refused to record statements without a formal complaint.
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i (left) confers with Kisii Governor Simba Arati at Nyamache Main SDA Church in Kisii County on September 20, 2025.
Dr Matiang’i said Dr Ruto should release both intelligence and investigative reports related to the incident, as well as other claims from the Hustler movement prior to the 2022 election. He argued that the rumors tarnished the Kenyatta administration, polarised the country and damaged careers.
“You accused us, alongside President Kenyatta and Dr Kibicho, of state capture through a so-called ‘deep state.’ Now you are in power. You don’t need anyone’s permission to publish the findings of these investigative reports, ”he said.
Dr Matiang’i also criticised the Ruto administration for allegedly sabotaging the Huduma number project, which by the time the previous government was leaving, had already captured data for 13 million Kenyans. He claimed the current government diverted the project to create tendering opportunities for officials.
“The project aimed to create a single source of truth for citizens. Instead, the new administration delayed it, creating excuses like the ‘Maisha number,’” he said.
The former CS said that while he is open to engaging with other parties, he remains a product of Kenyatta’s mentorship.
Party affiliation
“Currently, I am more inclined to Jubilee Party, whose leader is Mr Kenyatta—the leader under whose service I became known as a potential leader,” he said.
Political commentators have urged him to take a clear stance.
“Dr Matiang’i is a candidate of great promise, but he must be decisive in party affiliation and purposeful in collective unity. The political market reacts harshly to indecisiveness,” Prof Peter Kagwanja said.
The former minister said consultations with other parties and leaders were ongoing. He stressed that power is contested through coalitions and alliances.
“Announcements are usually made a few months before an election, and ours will be no different,” he said.
Dr Matiang’i also pushed back against calls from lawyers and political figures to be more decisive. He reiterated his focus on solutions-based politics rather than personal attacks and negativity.
“I am not interested in politics of insults or spreading falsehoods to appear serious. We must focus on solution-oriented leadership. Kenyans are seeking alternatives that deliver results,” he said.
He criticised the Ruto administration’s approach to empowerment programs.
“The government behaves like Father Christmas, handing out money to people. Recently, they splashed Sh350 million in Kisii, claiming to love the grassroots. But this is not service delivery—it is tokenism,” he said.
He argued that youth-led protests were driven by a lack of trust in government, politicisations of public resources and the misuse of religious rhetoric for political gain.
“Gen Z is our country’s true North. They are demanding solutions, not tribal or party politics. This country needs a fixer, and I am that person,” Dr Matiang’i said.
