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Ex-Interior CS Fred Matiang’i looks forward to approaching the tumultuous Kenyan political scene with a laid-back personality
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Matiang’i, who declared his bid for the presidency, said he will shape his politicking with a solution to the problems bedevilling Kenyans at the expense of bravado and name-calling
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Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party has endorsed Matiang’i to battle it out with, among others, President William Ruto in the 2027 vote
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has hinted at navigating the dramatic Kenyan political arena with a calm disposition, far from the traditional abrasiveness and bravado known of Kenyan politicians.
Speaking at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Thursday evening, June 19, after returning to Kenya, Matiang’i said he would be focusing on the issues affecting the common citizenry.
How Matiang’i will shape his presidential bid
The former CS, who has declared his bid for the presidency, said he would be shaping his bid with the solutions for the pressing challenges faced by Kenyans at the expense of toxic bravado and name-calling.
Matiang’i observed that Kenya’s problems are not a result of fiscal shortfalls but a breakdown in the leadership ranks.
His focus would be to solve the question of leadership, he said, suggesting a total shun from politics of character assassination against opponents and dishonest populism.
“I want us to see how we can find a solution to the challenges that we face. That’s why you have never heard me making negative statements and so on. Because as I always tell you, my brothers and sisters, negative energy has no returns. Let us focus on solutions, providing solutions to our problems. Our problems have nothing to do with money. They have to do with management and leadership. We are better people. We have sufficient capacity in the country to manage the country better. And let us all now cross hands, come together, focus on solutions to the problems we face. Not people, solutions. Let’s focus on solutions. We can do as much as we want,” he said.
Matiang’i further advanced the call to his supporters to massively enlist as voters and be ready to actualise change through the ballot.
He said the reforms the public thirsts for can only materialise through voting, hence the essence of having one’s voter’s card.
“If we are not registering and preparing to vote, we have not succeeded. So the drive is to register, we vote, we prepare ourselves to participate effectively and in a quality manner in the forthcoming electoral process,” he said.
Is Matiang’i conforming to opposition style of politics?
Matiang’i’s style of politicking will be a far cry from the one used by his associates in the opposition.
In May this year, he joined the faction led by former deputy president Rigathi Gachagua, who has been consistent in advancing diatribes against President William Ruto.
At every opportunity he gets with the microphone and lenses, Gachagua tears into Ruto, accusing him of being unfit to lead the country.
He is never kind to the president, heavily investing in name-calling and epithets to get back at the president.
Often, Gachagua accuses Ruto of being corrupt and unpresidential in the manner he runs the government.
