Matiang’i Resists Party Pressure, Calls for Government Transparency

Presidential hopeful Fred Matiang’i has dismissed growing pressure to reveal his political party ahead of the 2027 general election, saying that national dialogue should prioritise transparency and accountability over early political alignments.

In an interview aired on TV47 last week, the former Interior Cabinet Secretary criticised ongoing efforts to push him away from former President Uhuru Kenyatta, arguing that his political approach is guided by ideas rather than affiliations. He described the pressure as “unwarranted” and urged critics to focus instead on evaluating President William Ruto’s administration.

Matiang’i questioned the government’s silence on sensitive matters raised before the 2022 elections, including an alleged assassination plot targeting then Deputy President Ruto. The claim surfaced through a widely circulated letter implicating senior officials from the Mt Kenya region, prompting a probe by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) after Ruto reportedly raised security concerns.

Among those named were Cabinet Secretaries Peter Munya, Joseph Mucheru, Sicily Kariuki and James Macharia, who denied the allegations and said their meeting at Hotel La Mada was misrepresented. They declined to record statements, citing the lack of a formal complaint. 

Matiang’i, also linked to the claims alongside Kenyatta and the late General Francis Ogolla, dismissed the allegations as politically driven. He has since called on President Ruto to establish a commission of inquiry into alleged state capture under the previous administration and has offered to testify.

He also criticised the current government’s handling of the Huduma Namba initiative, a digital identity programme launched under the Kenyatta government. According to Matiang’i, the project, which had registered over 13 million Kenyans, was intentionally delayed and replaced with the ‘Maisha Namba’ system, which he claims was used to create new procurement opportunities. 

He said the Huduma programme was designed to establish a single, reliable source of citizen data. While Matiang’i stopped short of confirming any current party affiliation, he acknowledged his political origins in the Jubilee Party and described himself as a product of Kenyatta’s mentorship. He noted that coalition-building remains a key feature of Kenyan politics and signalled openness to future partnerships.

Political analyst Professor Peter Kagwanja has urged Matiang’i to take a firmer political stance, warning that continued ambiguity could hurt his presidential ambitions.