Focus on your manifesto, Matiang'i now tells Ruto

Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangí is received by Nyamira County Security agents in Borabu, Nyamira County.[Sammy Omingo, Standard]

Attacking me and Karanja Kibicho should not be part of your manifesto, Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has told Deputy President William Ruto and his allies.

Addressing mourners during in Endiba in Borabu sub-County, Dr Matiang’i castigated Ruto for continually attacking him and his Principal Secretary Kibicho over their roles in government.

Matiang’i told Ruto to concentrate on his manifesto instead of profiling his office and officers serving under him in a manner he said was worrying.

“It should end at once. Every other time you are addressing a gathering, it’s either me or Kibicho.

“Are we your manifesto? You should tell people what your manifesto is all about and not attack us,” Matiang’i said.

The CS particularly hit out at the DP and his allies for what he said was a scary tendency of profiling civil servants, a matter he said was demoralising and killing the spirit of nationhood.

He singled out a case of last Saturday when DP’s followers attacked Uasin Gishu County Commissioner Stephen Kihara over what they termed unfaithfulness to the DP’s political alignment.

They claimed Kihara was a government agent out to frustrate the DP’s quest to clinch power in the August polls.

“There are many politicians around the country whom you should be playing political games of attacking each other with, not government employees,” he said.

Matiang’i was in Nyamira where he held a security meeting with chiefs and their assistants in what he said was preparation for the last round of voter registration exercise starting in February.

More than 300 chiefs and their assistants attended the meeting that was held at Nsicha Technical Training Institute in Borabu.

He said there were concerns that more than 60,000 national identification cards were yet to be collected by prospective applicants in Nyanza, a situation that he said would affect the August elections.

“If the IDS are not collected before the registration exercise is concluded, then we will be assured that the region has forfeited an equal number of votes, which would make a difference in choosing leaders in the August polls,” Matiang’i said.

He ordered the chiefs to ensure the documents were distributed personally to the owners to ensure they were registered in time and that the owners participate in the polls.

The CS was accompanied by Borabu MP Ben Momanyi, Nyamira Woman Rep Jerusha Momanyi, Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo and other key leaders from Nyamira County.