President Uhuru Never Assigned Me Ruto’s Job, Matiang’i Says

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has dismissed claims that President Kenyatta stripped of and reassigned him Deputy President William Ruto’s responsibilities.

Matiang’i termed the allegations as irresponsible and reckless, adding that a time is coming when the county needs to be told the truth about those claims.

“Keeping quiet when such reckless claims are made does not mean we have nothing to say, we have taken counsel from the clergy, private sector, and people who care for the future and stability of this country not to go in the wrong direction especially now during the elections,” said Matiang’i while speaking in Kisii on Saturday.

He also took a swipe at Ruto and his allies for questioning his political stand and making unsubstantiated claims about an alleged plot to rig the August 9th elections, saying that they are being hypocritical and insincere.

“In 2017, I was on the campaign trail with all of them here in Kisii, so did I become a CS now in 2022? Now because we are not with them, we are breaking the law. This dishonesty characterizes the behavior of those people, very dishonest people seeking public leadership with cheaper and petty sympathies, there is no law we have broken,” said Matiang’i.

“I agree with my brother [ICT CS] Joe Mucheru, maybe there is something people want to do and they want to build a propaganda case or they notice the election is not going their direction, why are they making such wild claims,” he added.

Ruto’s presidential campaign secretariat last week claimed CS Mucheru was planning to influence the conduct and outcome of the forthcoming elections in favor of the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga.