Fred Matiang'i
Fred Matiang'i | |
|---|---|
Matiang'i in 2013 | |
| Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Interior & Coordination of National Government | |
| In office 8 July 2017 – 27 October 2022 | |
| President | Uhuru Kenyatta |
| Preceded by | Joseph Ole Nkaissery |
| Succeeded by | Kithure Kindiki |
| Cabinet Secretary for Education, Science and Technology | |
| In office 24 November 2015 – 26 January 2018 | |
| President | Uhuru Kenyatta |
| Preceded by | Jacob Kaimenyi |
| Succeeded by | Amina Mohamed |
| Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications and Technology | |
| In office April 2013 – 24 November 2015 | |
| President | Uhuru Kenyatta |
| Succeeded by | Joe Mucheru |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Fred Okengo Matiang'i Kisii District, Nyanza Province, Kenya |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Kenyatta University (BA) University of Nairobi (MA), (PhD) |
Fred Okengo Matiang'i is a Kenyan academic and former Cabinet Secretary who served in various high-profile dockets under the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta. He served as the Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government from 2017 to 2022, a tenure characterized by a "super-minister" status following a 2019 executive order that granted him oversight over all cabinet sub-committees. While credited with implementing stringent reforms in the education and security sectors, his time in office was often marked by friction with the Judiciary of Kenya and criticism from human rights organizations regarding the expansion of executive power and the use of state security apparatus against political opponents.
His tenure at the Ministry of Interior was under scrutiny due to the repeated disregard for judicial mandates; including the defiance of ten separate High Court orders to facilitate the return of lawyer Miguna Miguna, resulting in a 2018 ruling by Justice George Odunga finding Matiang'i in contempt of court for defiance of the judiciary. Additionally, the ministry delayed the restoration of broadcasting signals for Citizen TV, KTN, and NTV in early 2018 despite a High Court injunction, and oversaw mass evictions in Kariobangi and Ruai during the COVID-19 pandemic in violation of humanitarian stay orders.