Kenyan lawyer and political activist Miguna Miguna has come out strongly against Fred Matiang’i’s 2027 presidential ambitions.
Miguna said Matiang’i is unfit to lead the country and accused him of leaving behind a legacy filled with abuse of power and impunity.
During an interview on Citizen TV, Miguna did not hold back, stating that Matiang’i represented everything wrong with Kenya’s security and governance during his time as Interior Cabinet Secretary.
He spoke of his own experience in 2018, when he was abducted, exiled, and his house was destroyed. Miguna blamed Matiang’i for giving orders that led to these events and for ignoring court rulings that had declared the actions illegal.
Miguna said Matiang’i was involved in several human rights abuses, including alleged abductions and killings linked to River Yala.
He accused Matiang’i of detaining him without communication for days and forcefully deporting him from Kenya while he was unconscious, after being sedated. Miguna said he was dumped in Dubai without proper procedures and was later prevented from coming back to Kenya through illegal red alerts.
According to Miguna, the courts found Matiang’i guilty of contempt in 2018, but the former CS ignored the rulings. Justice Odunga and Justice Chacha Mwita were both mentioned as judges who had ruled against Matiang’i’s actions.
Miguna also criticized President William Ruto’s government for not acting on those court decisions. He said the current administration is not serious about accountability or justice.
Miguna believes Matiang’i, along with former Principal Secretary Karanja Kibicho, Said Kiprotich, and former DCI boss George Kinoti, should be jailed for ignoring court orders. He accused Ruto of promising to resolve these issues when he returned to Kenya in 2022 but later going back on his word.
According to Miguna, Ruto had assured him that the then-Attorney General Justin Muturi would handle the matter, but nothing was done. Miguna said he has filed lawsuits in Kenyan courts seeking compensation from Matiang’i and others involved in his arrest, torture, deportation, and denial of return.
He wants to be awarded large damages for what he went through and believes the Kenyan government should also be held responsible. He insisted that any person with such a history should not be allowed to seek leadership, especially the presidency.
Miguna warned Kenyans to reject individuals who have been linked to violations of human rights and abuse of office, saying this is the only way the country can move forward.
Matiang’i, for his part, denied any wrongdoing in a recent interview. He said everything he did was part of enforcing the law and protecting national security.
He added that if anyone believes he did something wrong, they should report him to the relevant authorities. Matiang’i insisted he always operated within the law and respected legal institutions even while he served as a powerful minister.
However, Miguna believes that words are not enough and that Kenyans must stand firm against anyone who has shown disregard for justice and the Constitution.
