Uhuru, Ruto created Fred Matiang'i and must protect, defend him

If you look at it keenly, both Nyachae and Fred Matiang'i resembled one another in many ways, especially in the roles they played at the critical point of the nation and how the State used them in post-crises affairs.

For instance, Moi used Nyachae to 'deal' with the 'Kikuyu mafia' who were undermining him after the 1982 coup while Matiang'i was deployed by Uhuru to quell the Ruto mutiny within his party and propel the handshake.

More so, Matiang'i is likened to Njonjo, a close friend and adviser to Jomo Kenyatta who steered Kenya through its difficult transition after Kenyatta's death in 1978 and helped ensure Moi's ascension to the presidency.

Through Matiang'i the state exercised its own absolute authority and aggression against the opposition. In 2017, for instance, Matiang'i campaigned for Ruto and Uhuru during the heydays of their bromance and in 2022, he did so for Uhuru and his 'brother' Raila, but his role has brought him both acclaim and notoriety. Now he is a man under siege. Unaware that he sat atop a crumbling pyramid of power, he relentlessly did his best to execute the authority of his bosses and no one can blame him for this.

Interior CS Fred Matiang'i (right) welcomes former President Uhuru Kenyatta at DCI headquarters during a past event. [Denish Ochieng, Standard]

His meteoric rise from obscurity was keenly drafted and choreographed by Uhuru who donated his own power and that of his deputy to Matiang'i, making him the most powerful Cabinet Secretary.

It is indisputable that in the absence of Uhuru's deputy, Matiang'i acted and performed almost all duties of a deputy president. He was the chief repository of State power and secrets. In fact, both Uhuru and Ruto know what secret things they shared with Matiang'i. In the process he created real and imagined enemies. With this kind of authority you cannot let the man walk into the streets of Nairobi and in public without protection.

Uhuru and Ruto should therefore defend this man because he served them both. At home Matiang'i has received threats and accusations of sabotaging UDA hopefuls and leaders in Kisii and Nyamira and helping to rig them out.

It is dangerous to leave Matiang'i just like that. The State must ensure his safety and continued protection. It is obvious not everyone likes him.

-Dr Chacha teaches at Laikipia University