NAIROBI, Kenya – Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has dismissed claims that he fled the country in 2023, saying his departure to the United Kingdom was authorized by President William Ruto.
Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV Tuesday night, Matiang’i said he had officially informed President Ruto of his travel plans, as the new Cabinet had not yet been sworn in at the time.
“When you have travelled in that kind of official manner and you get state agencies publishing your travel details—and government officials or bloggers associated with the government claiming that you have run away in a cargo plane—what can be more humiliating and frustrating?” he said.
Matiang’i revealed that he was among the outgoing Cabinet members who had been asked to stay on temporarily until the new administration fully took over.
“The Head of Public Service told us that the new Head of State had requested we stay in post until the new Cabinet was sworn in. That meant I had to get permission to leave the country. I personally spoke to President Ruto and explained the reasons for which I was travelling to the UK,” he said.
In February 2023, shortly after a dramatic police raid at his Karen home, Matiang’i’s passport and flight details were leaked by a government agency.
The disclosure fuelled public speculation that he had secretly fled Kenya to avoid prosecution or harassment under the new administration.
“When you wake up and find your passport and travel details exposed to the public, it’s frustrating,” he said. “Nothing had happened to warrant that kind of treatment—just a change of government.”
Matiang’i also extended his gratitude to his successor, Prof Kithure Kindiki—now the Deputy President—whom he credited for handling the matter with professionalism and empathy.
“I am very grateful to Prof Kithure Kindiki, because of all the people in that environment, he was the only one who expressed himself responsibly and in a manner I thought was humane at that time,” he said.
The former Interior CS, once considered one of the most powerful figures in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Cabinet, has in recent weeks resurfaced in the public eye and clarified several issues regarding his exit from government.
