IN SHORT: A TikTok video claims Fred Matiang'i has vowed to jail president William Ruto and recover stolen public money if elected president. But the video misrepresents an old speech from 2022 by using false captions.
A caption on a long TikTok video posted on 18 April 2025 claims to quote a speech by Matiang'i. The quote, in Kiswahili, roughly translates as: "This one is a thief. When I become president, he will return all the stolen money. I'm not playing."
A slightly modified version of the caption is repeated below the video, underneath a breaking news banner and the title: "Angry Matiang'i shocks Kenyans after bombshell speech."
The video is 7 minutes and 15 seconds long and shows Matiang'i speaking at a church event. He appears to be responding to a question from church leaders about the "deep state". He generally dismisses the claims and criticises political leaders for using this type of narrative to avoid accountability and honest discussions about governance and corruption.
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Towards the end of the video there is a separate short clip of Matiang'i speaking in Kiswahili. Roughly translated, he says: "We should serve the citizens. The government exists to serve the people."
The video has been viewed over 271,000 and received more than 9,100 likes and over 600 comments.
Matangi's return and political speculation
Matiang'i, who served as a powerful interior minister under former president Uhuru Kenyatta, returned to Kenya in April after a period outside the country following the 2022 general elections. His return has increased speculation about his potential presidential bid in 2027. Jubilee Party officials have said he will be their presidential candidate and he has promised to announce his next move "soon". He has attended meetings with key opposition politicians since returning to the country.
Ruto has faced allegations of corruption from some of his former key allies, including impeached deputy president Rigathi Gachagua and former attorney general Justin Muturi, who called Ruto "irredeemably corrupt".
It is in this climate of heightened political speculation and possible positioning for 2027 that the video has emerged. It alleges that the clips of Matiang'i show him since his return, calling Ruto a thief and vowing to arrest him. But is this accurate? We checked.
No evidence presented
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The clips in the TikTok video do not reflect the captions. The main clip is from 21 April 2022, taken during a church service in Kisii county. At the time, Matiang'i was responding to concerns raised by church leaders about the so-called "deep state", a term frequently used by then-deputy president Ruto and his allies at the time to claim that powerful figures in government were working against his presidential ambitions.
Matiang'i did not speak of having presidential ambitions or of jailing or recovering funds from Ruto, in either the TikTok segment or in the full speech. He was not running for president at the time, instead supporting Raila Odinga's campaign. He suggested Ruto should resign instead of attacking the government from within.
The second shorter clip is also old and does not address the claims in the video's captions. No credible source has confirmed such claims.
The claim is false. The video shows two old speeches by Matiang'i and adds misleading captions.
