Miguna rejects Matiang’i presidential bid, citing record of ‘atrocities and lawlessness’

Kenyan lawyer and political activist Miguna Miguna has dismissed former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i’s 2027 presidential ambitions, branding him unfit for public office due to what he terms a legacy of “abuse of power and impunity.”

In an interview with Citizen TV on Sunday, Miguna said Matiang’i epitomized the worst excesses of Kenya’s security and governance apparatus, citing personal experiences including his 2018 abduction, forced exile, and destruction of property.

“Dr Matiang’i exemplified the abuse of power in its purest form,” Miguna said, “The River Yala murders, abductions he engaged in, the destruction of my house, my abduction and detention incommunicado and torture of many days in defiance of multiple court orders.”

Miguna, who was deported from Kenya in 2018 following his role in the mock swearing-in of then-opposition leader Raila Odinga, specifically accused Matiang’i of overseeing his sedation and forceful removal from Kenya while unconscious, dumping him in Dubai, and later blocking his return through what he called “illegal red alerts.”

“Dr Matiang’i was convicted on the 28th of March 2018 by Justice Odunga and sentenced on the 29th. He has never complied with those orders,” Miguna stated, adding that Justice Chacha Mwita also found Matiang’i culpable for what Miguna described as “egregious atrocities.”

Miguna further criticized President William Ruto’s administration for allegedly failing to enforce those court rulings and hold individuals accountable.

“The regime of William Ruto is not interested in making sure that those orders are complied with,” Miguna said. “One of the things that ought to have been done was to put people like Matiang’i, Karanja Kibicho, Said Kiprotich and [former DCI boss] Kinoti in jail for disobeying court orders.”

Miguna revealed he has ongoing legal proceedings in Kenya seeking damages from Matiang’i and others involved in his arrest, detention, and deportation.

“I have sued Matiang’i and others for damages arising from the torture, the illegal arrest and detention, the forceful removal from Kenya, and blocking me from returning to Kenya for five years,” he said, adding that he intends to pursue “huge damages” both from the individuals and the Kenyan government.

He also accused President Ruto of reneging on promises made to him upon his return to Kenya in 2022.

“Mr Ruto had said to me when I returned to Kenya that he would instruct the former Attorney-General Justin Muturi to resolve those matters. Like any other lie he has told to many other Kenyans, he did not comply with that undertaking,” Miguna said.

The lawyer argued that Kenyans seeking true national transformation should reject leaders he described as tainted by past abuses.

“We cannot tolerate and entertain characters like Matiang’i who have not been punished, even though there were several court orders that found not just that he subverted the Constitution but that he was unfit to hold public office,” he said.

Matiang’i has previously denied any wrongdoing during his time in office, telling Citizen TV earlier this month that his actions were part of law enforcement and national security duties.

“I always subject myself to the law. Even when I was a minister, I was not above the law,” the former CS said then, “If you believe I’ve done something wrong, go to the DCI or any investigative agency and give them the information.”