Interior CS Fred Matiang’i has now come out to debunk claims that President Uhuru Kenyatta handed him the responsibilities of Deputy President William Ruto.

The CS stated that he and colleagues in the cabinet have avoided trading jibes with politicians because they respect the high offices that some of them hold.

“Keeping quiet when such reckless claims are made does not mean we have nothing to say, have taken counsel from the clergy, private sector and people who care for the future and stability of this country not to go in the wrong direction especially now during the elections,” he stated.

Matiang’i also took a swipe at his critics, who he noted were part of Uhuru’s campaign team in 2017, for being hypocritical and insincere.

“In 2017 I was on the campaign trail with all of them here in Kisii, so did I become a CS now in 2022? Now because we are not with them, we are breaking the law. This dishonesty characterizes the behaviour of those people, very dishonest people seeking public leadership with cheaper and petty sympathies, there is no law we have broken,” he added.

Matiang’i defends Joe Mucheru

The tough-talking CS further defended his ICT counterpart Joe Mucheru, who has faced sharp criticism following a controversial remark regarding the integrity of the forthcoming elections.

Matiang’i stated that the security docket will work in conjunction with the government’s ICT department to deliver free and fair elections.

“I agree with my brother Joe Mucheru, maybe there is something people want to do and they want to build a propaganda case or they notice the election is not going their direction, why are they making such wild claims,” he posed.