Dr. Fred Matiang’i Breaks Silence on Unresolved High-Profile Cases, Calls for Public Inquest

 

By Brenda Muriithi

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has spoken out for the first time about some of the most high-profile and unresolved cases that occurred during his tenure, including the grisly discovery of bodies in River Yala and the murder of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) ICT Manager Chris Msando in 2017.

In an exclusive interview aired on Citizen TV on Tuesday, Dr. Matiang’i clarified that the Ministry of Interior followed up on both cases until the end of his tenure, emphasizing that the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) was actively pursuing the investigations when he left office.

Addressing the River Yala incident — where more than 30 bodies were retrieved from the river — Dr. Matiang’i disclosed that the matter had been escalated to the then Inspector General of Police, Hillary Mutyambai. He explained that the police had requested families of the victims to come forward and positively identify the bodies, which was crucial to determining the circumstances behind the deaths.

“The DCI required families to positively identify the bodies to establish the circumstances of their deaths. By the time we left office, the file was still open as investigations were ongoing. I didn’t leave with the file — it was a police matter,” Matiang’i stated.

On the murder of Chris Msando, which occurred just a week before the 2017 General Election and remains one of Kenya’s most politically sensitive unresolved cases, Matiang’i maintained that investigative work was conducted, but did not go into further detail.

Dr. Matiang’i urged the government to initiate a public inquest into these and similar cases, saying such a move would be a crucial step toward transparency and justice. He expressed his willingness to appear before a judge and offer testimony.

“If the government opens a public inquest, I will be the first to testify,” he asserted.