Kenya: Matiang'i Protests Night Police Raid At His Home, Ready to Face Any Charges

9 February 2023

Nairobi — Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has protested a night police raid at his home, saying he is ready to face any charges.

His lawyers, led by Danstan Omari who camped at the home in Karen during the raid said their client's life is at risk and accused police of harassment.

"We don't know the intention of wanting to invade Matiang'i's home at this time of the night. We don't know where they want to, we don't know what offense he has committed arrest him and where they want to take him to," Omari said.

However, Omari stated that their client is ready to be summoned, to appear before any police station and record a statement provided there are have charges against him.

He claimed that he was accompanied by dozens of lawyers at Matiangi's home just to protect the client legally.

"We will remain steadfast to defend our client. We are ready to be arrested all of us so long as Matiang'i is safe," he said.

The police officers are said to have left after the lawyers arrived and no documents were served to them.

There has been no formal comment from police headquarters or the DCI headquarters over the raid but sources said it could be linked to the Ruaraka land saga.

The incident comes a week after Matiangi, and former PS Karanja Kibicho among other former ministers accompanied former President Uhuru Kenyatta to the home of the late former Education CS George Magoha.

Matiangi is among the former leaders who spoke on Jan 31 when they issued their messages of condolences.

Though the reason behind Matiangi's current predicament is yet to be known, his remarks castigating the government might have sealed his fate.

A few days later after his remarks at Magoha's home the security personnel attached to Matiangi and other powerful individuals who served under former president Kenyatta were scaled down.

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