The African Union Representative on Infrastructure Rt. Honourable Raila Amollo Odinga is sending clear cut signals on his would be successor after he retires from active politics. The name that’s giving would be Presidential candidates sleepless nights is that of Dr. Fred Okeng’o Matiangi, the current Cabinet Secretary for Interior and coordination in President Uhuru Kenyatta’s government.
He doubles up as Chairperson of the The National Development Implementation and Communication Cabinet Committee. The committee is composed of all Cabinet Secretaries, The Attorney-General and the Head of the Public Service who acts as the secretariat.
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He was appointed On the 22nd of January, President Uhuru Kenyatta, through Executive Order Number 1 of 2019, to the Chairmanship of Government’s inner core coordination which ruffled the feathers of the Deputy President Dr. William Ruto’s support base because to them, Dr. Matiangi took over the roles of a serving Deputy President and sent shockwaves across Kenya and began the onus of perceived bad blood between the President and his Deputy.
Dr. Matiangi a former Cabinet Secretary for Education transformed the Education system in Kenya for good and won lots of accolades from across the Republic of Kenya and its neighbors. He transformed the way Examination is administered and marked and sealed loopholes of exam cheating which didn’t go well with some quarters but he stood his ground and effected the changes without fear or favor.
The Cartels who used to sell exams from Mitihani house were caught off guard and some have paid dearly for their deeds and their trade came trembling and crashed.
Dr. Matiang’i has served as the Eastern Africa regional representative for the Centre for International Development, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, the State University of New York before being nominated as the Cabinet Secretary for Information Communication and Technology on 23 April 2013.
He holds a Masters and PhD Degree from the University of Nairobi and Bachelors of Arts from Kenyatta University. He is a staunch Seventh Day Adventist faithful.
He formerly taught at Egerton University and the University of Nairobi and used to work for the former powerful Chief Secretary Simeon Nyachae.
He has been nicknamed several names by Kenyans on social media. Mr. Fix it, Kenyan Magufuli, and the Bulldozer in the way he handles assignments from his Boss President Uhuru Kenyatta.
He was the Opposition number one hated Cabinet Secretary in the way he dealt with protestors by ordering police to dismantle oppositions quest for political change before and after the Supreme Court annulled the Presidential election of August 2017.
He didn’t meet eye to eye with Raila Odinga but recently it seems he is one of the loved Cabinet Secretaries he likes and supported him from salvos fired from team Ruto’s TangaTanga brigade the most recent one being the Gold Scandal touching the Royal family from Dubai who it’s alleged has lost millions of shillings to conmen who promised to sell gold to them.
Time will tell if Raila and Uhuru passes on the mantle to Dr. Fred Matiangi as their preferred Presidential candidate.
