He struggles with political correctness and can barely disguise his impatience.  He easily veers off script and remains untamed through the interview to the delight of press corps.  

The technocrat in him is fast fading. 

Former Interior Cabinet minister Fred Matiang’i knows pretty much but seems sufficiently coached against “talking down” at his audiences. 

He cuts the image of a man raring to go and considers the Ruto presidency a wasted opportunity.  

The former minister, who has declared his intentions to run for the presidency, thinks that the Ruto administration is working overdrive to remove itself from power through the implementation of broken policies. 

Buoyed by what he considers the strength of the emerging Opposition constellation, the Gen-Z revolt and palpable public demands for change, Matiang’i believes that a transition is nigh—and it is only two years away. 

“The next election will be a 2002 moment,” he said in a conversation with People Daily. 

According to Matiang’i, President William Ruto is staring at a resounding defeat akin to the 2002 election of the late President Mwai Kibaki against Uhuru Kenyatta that uprooted Kanu out of power.  

The margin of defeat was so huge that the Kanu candidate had to make an early concession. 

The 2002 election was a culmination of decades of clamour for change against the Kanu regime, which was accused of atrocities similar to those now associated with the Ruto administration. 

“There is no path for a return of the Ruto presidency. We can’t see any way he can win. We are looking at a peaceful transfer of power. Majority of the people in the country are clamouring for change of leadership,” said Matiang’i yesterday.   

“We can’t see Kenyans re-electing this bad leadership. They can’t stand another Ruto term. There is a demand for new leadership and a new government.” 

Matiang’i has teamed up with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua, Eugene Wamalwa of the Democratic Action Party (DAP-K) and Trans Nzoia governor George Natembeya, who have vowed to stick together and rally forces to render Ruto a one-term president. 

Retired Chief Justice David Maraga is among those who have expressed interest in the presidency, and it remains unclear how his candidature will play out with the emergence of Matiang’i. 

The two hail from the Gusii region and are likely to split the region’s voting bloc. 

According to Matiang’i, the Opposition team has no option but to stay together. 

“We are being pushed to run for the presidency. Kenyans are saying that we must run to help them. We have no choice. I have even been threatened with harm if I decide not to run. Some people have warned that they will evict me from this country if I don’t run for presidency,” he revealed. 

The former minister who has started consolidating considerable sway in his Gusii backyard is hoping to ride on his track record while serving under President Uhuru Kenyatta as minister for Education, ICT and Interior successively.  

Though he said he will soon be announcing his political party, Matiang’i gave a strong hint that he may contest on Uhuru’s Jubilee Party. 

Swing demographic 

“While in government, I was implementing the Jubilee manifesto. I have worked with Jubilee leaders. I was a Jubilee minister. Jubilee was my first interaction with political activity. My performance was during the Jubilee reign. Jubilee is not a proscribed institution. Jubilee is my roots,” he said. 

Matiang’i acknowledged that he was the first among equals in the Opposition group, but he considers himself the best placed to defeat President Ruto. 

“If the opposition is serious about removing this presidency, I am the best bet. My record in the ministries that I have been assigned speaks for itself. I require no introduction to the world. I can place a direct call to the World Bank president and get things done. If they are serious about service delivery, they should consider me seriously.” 

He described the Ruto administration as “incompetent.” 

“That is what Gen-Z are saying. They don’t want an incompetent government. They want a fair, coherent, and capable government that can help them get education funding.” 

The Ruto administration has been on a collision course with young Kenyans, which culminated in the deadly Gen-Z protests of 2024. 

The Gen-Z are likely to be the swing demographic in the 2027 election. 

Matiang’i said he is free from any political baggage and holds no debt with any leader, whether in opposition or serving in the current regime. 

“I don’t have political debts, and I don’t hold grudges with anyone. I am the best choice that Kenyans can pick among the rest. I am focusing on making my contribution in the development of this country just like any other Kenyan,” Matiang’i said. 

Not even the controversial River Yala scandal will be a hurdle in his race to State House as he dared those linking him to deaths to produce evidence to the authorities, maintaining that he was ready to face the law if he is implicated to the deaths of the victims. 

“I have never been above the law, and facts about River Yala have not been brought out into the light. The Director of Criminal Investigations had opened files about the incident, so why can’t they share what they know with the DCI?” he posed. 

He reiterated that his move to vie for presidency was independent and has not been orchestrated by Uhuru, his former boss. 

“His former Deputy President, who is now the President, we served in the same government. If then I am a project of the former President, he is more of a project than me, because he was more senior in government than me, as the DP,” he said during an interview with Mediamax Network Ltd radio and TV station. 

Blame game 

“I was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta and worked under him for 10 years. I was involved in implementing the policies that had been created by the Jubilee party. When his term ended, I moved to World Bank, but nobody is saying that I am its (World Bank) project.” 

He pointed a finger at the Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza government for embarking on endless excuses to cover up their failure to deliver services and good governance to Kenyans. 

“They are engaging Kenyans in endless blame-games. In the first year they said that they inherited bad governance structure from Uhuru Kenyatta. The second year they said it is Raila, his Luo community and the Azimio Alliance who are holding protests. Now in third year, they are blaming the Kikuyus saying they are intending to destroy the government. They must stop playing games and do the job Kenyans gave them,” he said.