Jubilee Deputy Party Leader and presidential aspirant Dr. Fred Matiang’i has accused the government of ignoring and hiding the rise of organized criminal gangs, saying state security agencies already know they exist.
Speaking in Waguthu village, Kiambaa, at the burial of Richard Gichini Mbugua, the former Interior Cabinet Secretary said he had been shown confidential findings from a report on national insecurity commissioned by European Union investors in Kenya. He described the report’s findings as deeply troubling.
Matiang’i told reporters that the findings were alarming because of the country’s deteriorating security situation, adding that urgent action was needed to prevent Kenya from sliding further into crisis.
He said the spread of hired criminals across the country was worrying and questioned why security agencies had not responded effectively. He singled out the recent intrusion at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi, describing it as a serious security failure in the capital.
Matiang’i said it was impossible to believe that no security officer knew about the criminals, from how they were mobilized to how they moved to the church, which he described as a place widely regarded as safe.
He warned that the growth of such organized groups was increasing tension nationwide, especially with only 13 months remaining before the next General Election. Recalling his time as Interior CS, he said major security incidents rarely happened without intelligence awareness, and warned that the current administration could push Kenya into deeper trouble if the problem was not addressed.
Matiang’i, who is seeking the presidency under the Jubilee Party, urged Kenyans to vote wisely in the coming polls and remove leaders who have failed to honor their campaign pledges.
At the same event, Jubilee Organising Secretary Jeremiah Kioni criticized the recently tabled budget estimates in Parliament, warning that they would sharply increase the cost of living.
Kioni said the proposed KSh 4.3 trillion budget would burden citizens through heavy borrowing and leave the economy weakened.
He argued that allocating such large sums to different departments would ultimately cost Kenyans far more once the measures were implemented.