Fred Matiangi’s Potential Presidential Bid:
• Former Kenyan interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi has hired a Canadian lobbying firm, Dickens and Madson, for $250,000 to gain international support.
• The firm will lobby the executive and legislative branches of governments of powerful nations including the US, UK, Japan, Kenya, and other countries.
• The firm will also assist in devising and executing policies for the development and stability of political goals.
Former Kenyan interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiangi seems to be seriously and quietly considering running for president in 2027, as he has hired a Montreal-based Canadian lobbying firm for $250,000 to garner international support.
According to an agreement signed on 13 July 2024, and seen by Mkenya Leo, lobbying firm Dickens and Madson will lobby the executive and/or legislative branches of the governments of powerful nations including the US, UK, Japan, Kenya, and any other mutually agreed upon country or countries, and international organisations on Fred Matiang’i’s behalf.
The firm will also provide other services “to assist in devising and executing policies for the beneficial development and stability of your political goals and to assist you in attaining the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya.”
Mkenya Leo tried numerous times to reach Matiang’i for comments, but our calls went unanswered.
The former powerful and ‘no-nonsense’ minister in former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s regime—between 2013 and 2022—has kept a low profile after leaving office and has not publicly declared his interest in running for president.
However, there has been speculation that he is preparing to bid for the highest office.
During his time in office as interior minister, he was highly praised by Kenyans as a capable and effective leader due to his efforts to enhance national security, which reduced terrorism threats from the Somali-based Al Shabaab terrorist group.
Al Shabaab had been crossing into Kenya and committing attacks such as the Westgate shopping mall shooting in September 2013 in Nairobi.
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Popular lobbyist for Africa
Dickens & Madson is becoming a popular choice for African politicians interested in a presidential bid.
In 2019, the firm signed a $6m deal to seek government funds and diplomatic recognition for Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, whose forces have been accused of massacring protesters in Khartoum.
Dickens and Madson has caused some controversies in the past.
In 2021, it was forced to drop a $2m contract with Myanmar’s ruling junta to defend the 1 February military coup in the southeast Asian country, after failing to secure approval from US and Canadian authorities.
Two years earlier, the firm signed a $6m deal to seek government funds and diplomatic recognition for Sudanese General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemeti, whose forces have been accused of massacring protesters in Khartoum.
The deal, reported by The Globe and Mail, includes “striving to obtain funding and equipment for the Sudanese military”.
The lobbying also sought “to assist the devising and execution of policies for the beneficial development of Hemeti’s political aims”.
Now the head of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), an independent military force waging Sudan’s later war against the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), Hemeti has been accused by Human Rights Watch of committing grave crimes against civilians in Darfur and other parts of Sudan.
Matiangi is lucky because the majority of Kenyans have lost favour with Ruto
Ruto-Raila political deal
The recent political realignment in the Kenyan political space—after Ruto and Raila struck a political deal to work together in government—might be the greatest challenge for Matiang’i.
In Matiang’i’s home region of Nyamira, his compatriots praised his tenure as minister.
Matiang’i’s supporters portray him as a strong, forthright character, and claim he is incorruptible. They recall when he introduced measures to curb rampant exam cheating during his tenure as education mMinister between 2015 and 2018.
In Uhuru’s first term as president, Matiang’i was entrusted to lead the ministry of information, communication, and technology, where he oversaw the ambitious migration from analogue to digital TV broadcasting despite resistance from private media owners.
During the recent anti-Ruto protests that began in June, youthful protesters used their social media platforms to endorse him as their preferred candidate in the 2027 polls.
Douglas Wanyama, a university student who participated in the anti-government protests, vows to support Matiang’i if he decides to run against Ruto in 2027.
“We need Matiang’i as our president in 2027,” he says, praising his character, conviction, and commitment to stand up for what is right.
