Uhuru fires back at Raila over Matiangi vote rigging claims

President Uhuru Kenyatta has defended acting Interior Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Fred Matiang’i, against allegations made by the National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, that the CS is being used by the Jubilee Party to rig the August 8 General Election.

Odinga, on Tuesday, July 18 hit out at Matiang’i, saying he has been holding secret meetings with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman, Wafula Chebukati, and CEO, Ezra Chiloba, to plot the rigging.

Speaking at a rally in Kibera, Nairobi, Odinga said: “Matiang‘i is trying to rig the August 8 General Election in the guise of acting on behalf of the state. We, as NASA, won’t allow that to happen.”

Odinga further alleged that Matiang’i has been campaigning for Jubilee in Kisii region and thus cannot be trusted to dispense his duties fairly as the Interior CS.

In a rebuttal Wednesday, President Uhuru Kenyatta accused Odinga of making false allegations against Matiang’i to gain unwarranted political advantage.

“Raila, kindly leave my juniors out of the day-to-day political statements that you make. You are competing against me, not Matiang’i. If you are interested in a ministerial job, exercise a little bit of patience; I will appoint you to the Cabinet,” said President Kenyatta at a Taita Taveta rally Wednesday.

Deputy President William Ruto showered praise on Matiang’i, saying he is so good at his job that the Opposition is getting restless.

“Watu wa kitendawili (A sobriquet DP Ruto uses to refer to the Opposition), Matiangi is dispensing his duties diligently. Stop attacking him. Instead, focus that energy on drumming up support for your political formation,” he said.

Taveta lawmaker, Naomi Shaban, echoed DP Ruto’s sentiments, saying his hard stance against dishonesty – as proven by his radical changes at the Ministry of Education – has made the Opposition twitchy.