The government has withdrawn the security detail attached to powerful individuals who served in the previous regime.
The security was withdrawn on Thursday morning with that of former President Uhuru Kenyatta being scaled down, a move that sparked outrage online.
Politicians close to Kenyatta said his security had been reduced five months after he handed over power to his estranged deputy William Ruto, who won the presidential election by defeating long-time Opposition leader Raila Odinga, who had the establishment’s support.
According to reports the GSU officers attached to Kenyatta and his family were recalled leaving only a few of them.
The same thing is said to have happened to influential officials in his cabinet, including Matiangi, who spearheaded a ruthless campaign to prevent Ruto from assuming power.
When Ruto was Deputy President, Matiangi and Kibicho were constantly at odds with him, often scaling back his security and publicly chastising him as his ambitions to succeed Kenyatta in elections grew.
The government is yet to say anything as leaders allied to opposition pile pressure saying Uhuru’s security is guaranteed by the constitution.
“The security of a former head of state/government — in America or in a banana republic like Kenya — isn’t a political matter. It’s about the security of the state itself. Should harm befall a former head of state/government, there would be hell to pay. My two cents,” Odinga’s Spokesman Prof. Makau Mutua tweeted.
The security withdrawal comes a day after Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei urged President Ruto to withdraw the privileges Uhuru has been enjoying since he handed over power in September 2022.
Cherargei stated that Uhuru’s government vehicles, security detail, and monetary benefits should be removed over participating in politics.
“Under the law when you retire as president you are given some government support like vehicles security, money and office but if you saw him on Monday, he is still active in politics he hasn’t retired,” he noted.
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