Miguna Miguna: Matiang’i must be held accountable for defying courts
By Cy Muganda, July 13, 2025Lawyer Miguna Miguna has demanded accountability from former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i, accusing him of defying multiple court orders and questioning his suitability to seek the presidency in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during an interview on a local media station on July 13, 2025, Miguna said Kenya cannot claim to be on a path of transformation while allowing leaders like Matiang’i, whom he accused of constitutional subversion, to walk free and unpunished.
“If we want to transform the country, and I believe we do as Kenyans, we cannot tolerate, entertain, and coddle characters like Matiang’i, who have not been punished,” Miguna stated.
Miguna, who was forcibly exiled in 2018 under Matiang’i’s tenure as Interior CS, pointed to a series of court rulings, including a 2018 judgment by Justice George Odunga, which found Matiang’i in contempt and ordered him to pay damages for violating Miguna’s constitutional rights during his forced deportation.
“There were several court orders that found not just that he subverted the constitution, but that he was unfit to hold public office,” Miguna said.
“He has not honoured any of those court orders; he has not paid the damages that he was awarded to pay, including the conviction by Justice Odunga on March 28, 2018, which he has not paid, the contempt conviction that he has not paid,” he reiterated.
Matiang’i’s presidential bid
Miguna’s criticism comes as Matiang’i positions himself for a presidential bid in the 2027 general election, having gained backing from the Jubilee Party.
Matiang’i has been involved in coalition talks with a range of opposition leaders, including former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka, People’s Liberation Party leader Martha Karua, Democratic Party leader Justin Muturi, DAP-Kenya’s Eugene Wamalwa, to run against President William Ruto in 2027.
In an interview on July 1, 2025, he revealed his plans of fighting corruption should he be elected president in the 2027 general election.
Matiang’i expressed frustration with the culture of impunity in public service and pledged to enforce existing laws if elected president.
“Nothing beats exemplary leadership. We talk more than we do in this country in terms of public leadership. The fight against corruption ought to start with the individual leaders at the decision-making table. You cannot tell people to stop doing what you are doing yourself every day,” he stated.
Matiang’i argued that Kenya doesn’t need new laws or commissions to fight graft but simply needs to implement the laws already in place.
“We have enough laws; we keep hiding behind the law and setting commissions. We don’t need new infrastructure, commission or law, we just need to live within the law that is in place and implement it,” Matiang’i observed.
He also called for the depoliticisation of accountability institutions.
“We just need to be true to the ideals that the founding fathers of this nation had when they fought for independence and built a straightforward country,” Matiang’i stated.