Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i jetted out of the country days before he was ordered to present himself at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters.
In a letter addressed to the DCI by the Immigration Department on Tuesday, February 28, it was noted that Matiang’i left the country on February 19.
The former CS was reported to have boarded a plane at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on that day.
“The passport number was issued to Dr Okengo Matiangi on January 12, 2022. He is also a holder of a diplomatic passport.
“He departed on February 19, 2023, through JKIA on KLM flight number KL 566,” read the letter in part.
The Ruto government was always going to settle a score with former CS Fred Matiangi. Ordinarily I would have supported Matiangi but when I remember how him and Mutahi Kagwe used to cook COVID figures to stall Raila campaigns, i'm really at pains. 1/ pic.twitter.com/3tdSMXfEgt
— D I K E M B E (@Disembe) February 28, 2023
The immigration department did not reveal the former CS’s final destination. However, a search by Kenyans.co.ke on the flight revealed that the plane was destined for Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
According to the FlightAware tracker, the flight left JKIA on Sunday, February 19, at 12:04 am and arrived at the Amsterdam Schiphol Airport at 6:27 am – according to the time in the Netherlands.
Therefore, the plane took 8 hours since Kenyan time is ahead by two hours.
Attempts by Kenyans.co.ke to reach Matiang’i’s lawyer Danstan Omari over the trip proved futile at the time of publication.
Matiang’i was set to appear before the DCI on Friday, February 24, for interrogation over an alleged raid at his Karen home on February 8.
On the other hand, Omari indicated that the ex-CS could not appear before the DCI as the summon was not issued correctly.
“A sermon must be served in person to person it is targeted. Show me a sermon served to Fred Matiang’i, and he has put a signature there?
“The DCI misled the entire media fraternity and Kenyans into believing that he had issued valid summons to Matiang’i,” he stated.
