Matiang’i In Danger? Find Out How The Raid Happened
Written by RadioVuna on February 9, 2023
Police on Wednesday night raided former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i’s home in Nairobi.
Elite police officers arrived and surrounded his Karen home in a bid to arrest him for unspecified reasons.
ODM leader Raila Odinga and a battery of lawyers arrived at the former CS home to close ranks.
Raila said he will spend the night at the home until the matter is solved.
EACC has denied any involvement in the raid.
The IG told Citizen Digital that the police were not involved in the raid, where it is alleged that an unknown number of elite police officers surrounded the former Minister’s home in Karen.
Matiang’i’s lawyer Danstan Omari was at the location during the 10.00 PM raid, where he told the press that the security officers intended to arrest his client.
“I can confirm that the life of Matiang’i is at risk. We don’t know the intention of wanting to invade Matiang’i’s home at this time of the night. We don’t know what offence he has committed,” he said, adding that the former CS is ready to present himself to the police and record a statement if needed.
Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga was also present at Matiang’i’s home, saying that his (Matiang’i) crime should be made public instead of the night raids.
“We are now witnessing what this country has been through before…the times of late-night arrests and detention without any charges. There is no reason why police should be coming to somebody’s home at this hour of the night when people are asleep,” Raila said.
Matiang’i Now Moves To Court After Night Home Raid
It is his argument that he is under imminent threat of arrest by the police and is justifiably apprehensive that his constitutional rights are being violated.
“The powers of arrest by the respondents and the Kenya Police are being abused and misused to harass, intimidate and oppress the applicant and his former cabinet colleagues and the former president; and to achieve extraneous political purposes unconnected with upholding the Law,” he argues.
Matiang’i argues that unless the orders are granted, he together with his family members and people close to him will continue living in a saddening state of fear and anxiety as they are not aware of when and how the respondents would pounce on them.
The former interior CS claims that he received credible information from officers of the Kenya Police that they are under express instructions to arbitrarily capture and arrest him with a view of arraigning him in court for ulterior political motives.
Through his lawyers, Matiang’i now wants the court to issue conservatory order restraining the respondents, their servants, agents, junior officers and/ or anybody from effecting and/or anybody from arresting, charging, harassing or otherwise however interfering with him.
Similarly, he wants the court to stop the police, government from harassing him without conducting investigations and according him an opportunity to be heard or summoned to appear at any offices to record statement(s) if need be.
He claims that on February 9, 2023, his home was raided, surrounded and cordoned off by police officers who were seeking to arrest him.
According to Matiang’i the police officers only retreated after the media and his lawyers arrived.
“Worth noting is the fact that the applicant has never been summoned to appear before any police station or investigative agency and no arrest warrants had been issued against him, a clear breach of due process, “reads court papers.
According to the former CS, the timing of the arrest is designed to ensure that he does not attend the funeral and burial service of his late cabinet colleague, Prof. George Magoha.
“The Applicant is aware that his woes got worse when he gave a speech at the home of the late Prof Magoha where he shared the lessons on public service that he had learnt from the deceased. His security was withdrawn the next day and the impending arrest is part of the scheme to harass and silence me forever.”
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