Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has finally spoken about some of the most disturbing and unresolved cases that happened during his time in office.
These include the shocking discovery of bodies dumped in River Yala and the mysterious murder of IEBC ICT Manager Chris Msando just days before the 2017 General Election.
In an interview aired on Citizen TV, Matiang’i tried to explain what his ministry did about the cases before he left office. He said that investigations were ongoing and that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations was still handling the cases by the time he exited government.
When asked about the River Yala case where over 30 bodies were recovered from the river, Matiang’i said he took the matter seriously and referred it to the then Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai.
The police needed help from families to identify the bodies so they could know who the victims were and what might have happened to them. According to Matiang’i, the DCI officers were sent to the scene, and after their report, the ministry pushed for an inquest to follow up on the truth.
He said the police file remained open and that investigations were still active when he left office. He also made it clear that he didn’t interfere with the files because the matters belonged to the police and were not controlled by his office.
Speaking about the death of Chris Msando, Matiang’i repeated that the case was still under investigation when he left. He said the police never gave a final report and there was nothing even a senior government official like him could do except wait for the police to finish.
Matiang’i also mentioned other high-profile deaths like that of Jacob Juma and Sergeant Kipyegon Kenei, saying that they too remained under police investigation without closure. He emphasized that the DCI would always say the files were open, and no matter your position in government, it was the police IG who had the authority to say what stage the investigations were in.
Matiang’i now believes that for these cases to be fully resolved, there needs to be a public inquest. He said he is ready to appear before any judge and give his testimony on everything he knows. He insisted that he did not walk away from the cases and that if there is real interest in finding the truth, the state should open up the process to the public. This way, he believes, the families of the victims will finally get the justice they have been waiting for.
