ANGRY Matiangi reacts after Uhuru Kenyatta was mentioned in Fuel Prices Protests by Murkomen

Added: 2026-05-26

[00:00:01]Thank you very much.

[00:00:04]I'm certainly not good at this. Um, you know, I have kept hoping that uh I will see an end to, you know, what I I normally call um very nonsensical uh conversations in in in the public space.

[00:00:25]We are in a crisis. And then let me be very frank about this. As someone who has had the privilege and uh the blessing of working in the public sector before and serving our country, I understand government very well. I can read what is going on. I can tell Kenyans very sincerely. We are walking down to a crisis. Not just because we have of course because we have an incompetent government but because in addition to that incompetence they have mismanaged uh the country and every avenues of engagement in a spectacular and historic manner. So I would like to urge our leaders take time now to address the challenges we face or at least show a sense of understanding and respect for the public by attempting a conversation on the challenges that we face.

[00:01:21]Not on the kind of garbage that you keep spewing every day and so on and so forth. The challenges we face in this country have nothing to do with a track.

[00:01:30]So you cannot say because there isn't a part of this country I've gone to where you do not meet people suffering young men and women who have deferred their university learning programs because they cannot raise fees. Kids who cannot go to secondary school because the fees is unaffordable. Levies have been introduced that the government is not even in control of and doesn't even know. These are the challenges we face.

[00:02:22]You forget about and we can see we are not dumb.

[00:02:25]Clearly this kind of language where it is headed sector Kenya Private Tech Alliance, Kenya Association of Manufacturers because democracy is government by consultation and government by consensus as you go along.

[00:03:16]these arrogance that we see here and juvenile that you are witnessing.

[00:03:25]The worst mistake you can make as a government is to politicize national security issues.

[00:03:58]But I'm asking the government if you want to prove us wrong arrest those who are involved and present them before a court of law because that is how you prove that you are serious excuses you know maybe somebody should give award this government or record them in the Gins book of world records for being the government that has generated the most excuses to govern.

[00:04:21]Oh, he inherited empty coffers. Oh, it isu or it was or it is who I mean someone else is to blame. Not not their own failure to manage the country.

[00:04:49]reject the cost of living is already unbearable for Kenyan workers. Kenyan is slavery workers are paying every day over taxation IMF program. Why did they get out of the program audit audit audit audit because they have refused to accept that audit they have gotten out of the program s they trying to look for money to plug the holes through over taxation that is the truth so whether you had leaders of the transport sector for a day or two to get out of the street. Whether you intimidate them or whatever you do, the problem does not go away. And this is the same short termism, shortsighted way of managing the country that these people have adopted. there's a problem throw money at bribe some people or alternatively intimidate them or abduct them or alternatively say you are moving all of us into a crisis and trying to profile one community you think it is going to be fashionable which doesn't make sense.

[00:06:47]They are retired presidents around the world. You know, the level of pettiness that we see from this administration is shocking. You know, some of the things that people say these guys talk about, they can make a dog cry. The president retired and that's all. And and you If you cannot manage a retired president, honestly, what can you do?

[00:07:13]You know, managing a retired president is the easiest thing because there's an act that says what that retired president is entitled to.

[00:07:28]physical even at the middle of the night you dream you having a nightmare you're going to call your wife your husband in the middle of the night [laughter] let's be serious people I'm I'm telling you let's be serious people Kenya deserves better we have been independent for the last 63 years we we are respected around the world in in the region we asking our leaders we are better than that is why in Jubilee we are saying we are better than this we would I'd like to change this administration because Kenyans deserve better deserve better leadership and and what would we do so that I don't concentrate on negatives only. We would introduce transparence and management of the energy sector differently from what you see these days. We will not engage in conflict of interest. We will not lead a government where we ourselves are doing business in the oil sector because in doing that because of conflict of interest we will not be able to regulate and manage the sector effectively. We will give an opportunity to all Kenyans.

[00:08:30]We will be transparent about what we do and accountable about public affairs. If we spend money from the petroleum h fund levy or the road maintenance levy, we will tell the public what we have done in in that kind of way. And even if we don't tell the public for one reason or the other, we have parliament.

[00:08:49]Parliament is the representative of the people. elected members of parliament ought to be told and ought to be explained to everything that is happening by government sa if they don't trust the rest of us even with the so-called GG why don't they take it to parliament our representatives are in parliament I will be very happy and satisfied myself if members of parliament were taken to all this and all this information was given to members of parliament to explain everything including your incapacity to to to deal with things.

[00:09:30]Finally, the level of insecurity in this country is going out of hand on this particular one. I am doing because I have an individual and personal responsibility as a former minister of interior. The level of insecurity in our country is going out of hand. In rural parts of this country, challenges like livestock theft [clears throat] and so on are on the rise. Homicide cases, the cases of rape and and the murder of women, femicide is becoming a crisis now in the country. You have noticed in the recent weeks what has happened. Young children raped, killed and so on and so forth.

[00:10:12]Please take charge.

[00:10:16]You have the law. You have the instruments.

[00:10:19]Uh take charge. And as you take charge, come out and engage candidly and listen to the people of Kenya. I I respect and I believe everyone should respect our religious leaders.

[00:10:32]They have almost shouted themselves horse addressing this administration.

[00:10:37]the Conference of Catholic Bishops, the PCA leaders, NCCK, everyone, please listen to those men and women of God and government should listen. But for now, we will be holding now public engagements ourselves as we go along with our members discussing finance bill 2026. Our honest view is that it should be rejected because of it draconian and punitive taxation measures that will hurt everybody in the country. Thank you.

[00:11:11]>> Questions?

[00:11:13]>> Yeah, they don't have questions. They are very happy with what we have said.

[00:11:17][laughter] >> Yes sir.

[00:11:21][clears throat] Do you think there's something uh bear in mind I'll start with the second question bear in mind I was a minister for interior when former prime minister Ainga went to hurupak to swear himself in not a single bullet was shot that day not a single man was injured against the advice and the pressure by even some of the people in power today that we should behave otherwise. We we we president Kenyata refused. I refused as the minister for interior and we didn't have a problem. Responsible policing is something that this country has invested in very heavily. I mean we have a some of you may not know we have a security comeback with the several countries. The secure combat is made mainly a training and support program with several governments that support our security sector in terms of training uh riot control crowd management and so on and so forth. Responsible policing is something that we have worked on since almost independence even before I became minister for interior myself. This has been going on and there's also a a you know regulations called standing orders on how police are supposed to conduct their affairs. in most cases to be honest with you for the entire time I I I was there and I've noticed police try the best they can to to to respect those standing orders. The difference I think here is as I said the politization of the the the security responsibilities.

[00:12:57]I somebody somewhere in this whole arrangement is supporting the deployment of goons and criminals side by side with what the police are doing and and in that process people get injured. In some cases where the police may be blamed it's probably these wounds and these thugs some of them supported by by by by leaders others who brag very openly and so on and so forth. So that that's why I've said several times and I would like to say again I know most of our leaders in the security sector many of them are actually serious people they are honest serious people they are good officers they need to be allowed they need to be given an opportunity to do their work without undue political pressure. When you hear these kind of political statements that are being made, irresponsible, reckless political statements being made, they are meant to intimidate and sometimes push the security sector in a particular direction. If the police were left to act objectively, their leaders were given the free the the way they need to act. Some of the issues we are dealing with will not happen. But when mistakes happen and when challenges happen such as people die and h force is used uh disproportionately the law is very clear investigations ought to be done those who are involved are brought to book because we are a rule of law country there are officers who are involved when I was minister myself in some cases in some other cases investigations have been done and the process of prosecution is going on in some cases even punishment has already happened we we have no security anywhere else except in the law all of us because you see you can't we can't all be ministers we can't all be police officers today it's me tomorrow it's you we are all equal before the law and we will be protected by the law we say let's follow the law that's what we asking our colleagues to do as for whether or not there's any wisdom I have the wisdom I have is to ask them to leave because the the the level of damage they have done to the country is is is irredeemable and and more painful Especially because I know and I understand the capacity of our country. I know what my country can do.

[00:15:03]I know what the people in this country can do. I've worked with so many public servants. I know what some of these senior public servants can do in an environment where they are given proper political support and there's will to do good. But I mean right now I have never seen for the time that I have been paying attention. I never knew a time when there was such resentment even within the the security sector teams.

[00:15:27]themselves and how do we know ordinary citizens because now they are talking about it even politicization of deployment people are lined up you know in x number of commands in Nairobi x number of them are placed in one ethnic community and so on which you can tell clearly the reasons why it's being done so so they are not happy themselves we are not happy and that that's why we think the best they could do to this country is to do a decent thing and they know what the decent thing is Yes sir. You say that they should be listening more.

[00:16:26]And in most cases we have seen even some religious leaders being told you not came out and say so even to the same fig.

[00:16:41]So what's your message to the leaders that leaders can listen to uh Kenyans whether they are religious leaders, academics, civil society leaders, uh mamoga group leaders. Listen to the people of Kenya.

[00:17:02]That's all we are saying. And when you listen to them, we are a democracy.

[00:17:06]People have a right to express themselves how they please. But but when people ask questions again and again of a government, it's only logical that that government at least pays attention to the questions and the issues that are being asked and avoids deflection, you know, deflecting uh or or or trying to take away the attention from the issues to irrelevant tribal issues and dragging in the pres, retired president and his family. uh in cases where honestly speaking he is absolutely innocent.

[00:17:43]Final one because we said three.

[00:17:46]>> Okay.

[00:17:46]>> Yes sir.

[00:17:47]>> Thank you so much sir. Just to from more regarding the allegedization of the levy. If this demands are not met what will be your next?

[00:18:03]Well, first um when we make these demands as a party or when we ask these questions as a party, we also know that we are members in parliament and members in the Senate. We'll do the best we can.

[00:18:16]You know, we are a rule of law party.

[00:18:18]First of all, we we we truly believe that we should act and and transact strictly according to the rule of law.

[00:18:25]uh so so when we make these demands and ask questions about uh these disclosures it is because we intend that that is the way public debate should go on these issues and it's upon government to decide whether a they're going to be responsible enough and acce issues because we're asking very basically for accountability is very basic accountability I would not think twice about about these issues because they are straightforward matters and and then and then and then we'll continue ventilating through the institutions that exist. You know, we also don't I don't believe and we don't think it's the right thing to operate the way you want to propose. We make these demands or else you know and and so on. We are a democracy. We we have a point at which we are going to act and that is at the ballot. We are asking these accountability questions on and on again and we hope the government will be accountable enough and do what needs to be done. On the question of the the strike, we support the the strike and uh that's why we even rescheduled a meeting we had in in Kiamu. Our party leader decided let's stand with all Kenyans on this matter. We support any action that presses the government to do the right thing and the strike was action by the public to press the government to act responsibly on the issue of pricing of fuel. Now the leaders of the transport sector said they gave them seven days.

[00:19:49]We wait and see. But for us and through the members of parliament we have we are going to continue communicating that a lot needs to be done. Maybe the funds in that uh petroleum uh uh uh development levy fund should be availed to the market to stabilize the situation and reduce the pressure on on the ordinary consumers. But there isn't much there anyway to be honest with you. That's why I said the other day I think we are in a crisis. There isn't much money there.

[00:20:20]Even if whatever is there was put out it will not cushion us for long and this is as a result of the decisions we have made. We may be having a crisis in the in the Middle East right now. But uh largely the current situation is as a result of long-term corrupt you know actions that we have taken and they are going to bite us. So I even if they went that direction I don't think they will be able to cushion us for for for long. So the actual solution is to address the corruption the conflict of interest and what has finally brought us to this point. Thank you.