A contingent of heavily armed police officers on Wednesday night raided the home of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i in Karen, Nairobi.
Reports indicate that the team of elite police officers arrived and surrounded his home seeking to arrest him for unspecified reasons.
Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga’s spokesman Dennis Onyango said that the ODM party leader was headed to Matiang’i’s home.
Through Facebook, ODM communication director Philip Etale claimed police arrived at the former cabinet secretary’s home in five vehicles.
“Former CS Dr Fred Matiang’i is under siege. His house has been surrounded by five police vehicles. They want to attest him. Happening now,” Etale said in a social media post.
His lawyers, led by Danstan Omari who camped at the home in Karen during the raid said their client’s life is at risk and accused police of harassment.
“We don’t know the intention of wanting to invade Matiang’i’s home at this time of the night. We don’t know where they want to, we don’t know what offense he has committed arrest him and where they want to take him to,” Omari said.
However, Omari stated that their client is ready to be summoned, to appear before any police station and record a statement provided they have charges against him
He added that more than 200 lawyers are currently protecting their client against what he termed unlawful arrest.
Omari went on to say that they will stay put till morning to ensure the law takes its course upon the arrest of their client.
“We will remain steadfast to defend our client. We are ready to be arrested all of us so long as Matiang’i is safe,” he said.
The incident comes a week after Matiangi, and former PS Karanja Kibicho among other former ministers accompanied former President Uhuru Kenyatta to the home of the late former Education CS George Magoha.
Matiangi is among the former leaders who spoke on Jan 31 when they issued their messages of condolences.
Though the reason behind Matiangi’s current predicament is yet to be known, his remarks castigating the government might have sealed his fate.
A few days later after his remarks at Magoha’s home, the security personnel attached to Matiangi and other powerful individuals who served under former president Kenyatta were scaled down.
