Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga came to the aid of former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i after elite sleuths raided his home in Karen, Nairobi, late last evening, in a move to arrest him.
Raila, who vowed to prevent the arrest, was flunked by a battery of lawyers led Matiang’i’s advocate Danstan Omari who sought to determine why that was happening.
The motive behind the operation is not yet known, but reports have linked it to the Assets Recovery Agency.
It was established that Matiang’i was present at home during the incident which his lawyers said were not aware of.
“I can confirm that the life of Matiang’i is at risk. We don’t know the intention of wanting to invade Matiang’i’s home at this time of the night. We don’t know what offence he has committed… Our client is ready to be summoned, and record a statement if they have anything to charge him with. My client is holed up as if he is a fugitive in his own country,” said lawyer Omari.
Raila vowed not to allow Matiang’i’s arrest and that he could not leave his home ‘until the matter is resolved’.
“Dr Fred Matiang’i is a former Interior CS and civility demands that the illegitimate regime in place accords him due process and his rights. We will not allow the dark days of repression to return. We shall stand with him to the end. I am not leaving his home tonight until this matter is resolved. He can count on our support and solidarity as Azimio. Haramu haitalala! Kenya ni kubwa kushinda mtu yeyote mmoja!” He posted on social media.
“There is no reason why police should be coming to somebody’s home at this hour of the night. If Matiang’i has committed a crime warranting his arrest, that should be made public and known to him and he can present himself for interrogation,” said Odinga.
“This idea of arresting senior citizens at this hour of the night is something that is completely repugnant to civilization. This is completely unacceptable.”
The police officers drove away from the home of the former CS soon after the media broke the news of the operation.
Sam Oduor is the founder and one of the editors at WKT. With a strong background in Communication and Journalism, Sam is an experienced digital media expert currently building a team of young professionals dedicated to telling the story of our community in a unique, authentic way.
