Fred Matiang’i: Govt deserves Guinness World Record recognition for excuses
By Mabonga Makhanu, May 20, 2026Former Interior Cabinet secretary Fred Matiang’i has stated that President William Ruto’s administration should enter the Guinness World Records for what he described as making the most excuses during its tenure.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at Jubilee Party headquarters, Matiang’i faulted the current administration for what he termed a consistent tendency to attribute its shortcomings to other actors rather than taking responsibility.
He says that the administration should be awarded a place in the Guinness World Records for generating the most excuses, ranging from claims of “we inherited empty coffers” to blaming retired president Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leaders such as the late Raila Odinga, instead of taking responsibilities and solving the issues that the country is currently grappling with.
“This government should be awarded a place in the Guinness World Records for generating the most excuses, ranging from ‘we inherited empty coffers’ to ‘it was Uhuru’ and ‘it was Raila’.They always seem to look for someone else to blame,” he stated.
Matiangi exudes confidence in Jubilee
This comes days after he also stated that the Jubilee Party needs to get back to power.
Speaking during a Jubilee Party delegates’ meeting that was later cancelled after members had already gathered on Monday, May 18, 2026, Matiang’i argued that the current situation unfolding in the country would not have been witnessed under a Jubilee administration.
“Somebody wanted to know why the Jubilee Party needs to return to power — today, you have the answer. This is the reason why Jubilee should come back,” Fred Matiang’i stated.
The former CS further stated that during the tenure of former President Uhuru Kenyatta, the country never reached the kind of standstill currently being witnessed due to protests over the rising cost of living and fuel prices.
He warned that Kenya is facing a major crisis and cautioned that if the situation continues unchecked, the country could plunge into what he described as a “doomsday scenario”.
Matiang’i’s presidential bid
Matiang’i’s remarks come at a time when he is actively positioning himself for a presidential bid in the 2027 elections. His growing political influence was recently boosted after Jubilee appointed him deputy party leader and fronted him as a possible presidential flag bearer as well as a key figure within the united opposition movement.
Since then, Matiang’i has been traversing different parts of the country in an effort to popularise his 2027 bid.
He was recently accompanied by several opposition leaders during a tour of the Kisii region, where he was symbolically endorsed as the community’s spokesman and elder expected to champion its interests at the national level.