Interior CS Fred Matiang’i is being used by top officials in government to tarnish the image of Deputy President William Ruto, a Jubilee legislator has said.
Bomet Central MP Ronald Tonui said yesterday allegations the DP has been trying to influence government tenders are not only fallacious but damaging. He was reacting to a story published in the Star on Wednesday.
Tonui said he is aware of operatives in State House misusing Matiang’i to peddle lies to spoil the DP’s quest for the presidency.
“We know of individuals who are opposed to the Ruto presidency. The same people have devised a strategy of using the CS to propagate a smear campaign so that the DP is viewed negatively by the public,” Tonui said.
Speaking to the press in Bomet, the legislator said procurement of police uniforms is a “small matter” and for the Cabinet secretary to drag Ruto into it shows someone is behind the scheme to hurt the DP.
“Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga once said if you hear a dog barking, just look for the owner. We know who has sent him,” Tonui said.
He said Matiang’i should not purport to be clean and asked him to come clean on certain decisions he took that raised questions.
DP Ruto and Matiang’i have been engaged in serious fighting, which has been kept out of the public eye for months.
According to multiple sources, the fights have involved multi-billion-shilling tenders being pushed by Ruto and his associates, which Matiang’i has refused to approve. But the DP’s spokesman, David Mugonyi, when contacted for a response about the tender row, responded furiously, “That’s nonsense.”
The latest incident occurred this week when the DP is reported to have asked the Interior CS to award a tender for the supply of police uniforms to other people, not just the National Youth Service.
Matiang’i insisted on Tuesday the uniforms will be made by the NYS. Without naming names, an angry Matiang’i told off a “politician” who wanted a share in the supply of the multi-million tender.
“The Inspector General of Police, the PS and myself have been under pressure by some quarters, and all manner of thieves, that we should import police uniforms,” he said.
