)
Fred Matiang’i jetted back into the country on Friday for what is promising to be a bruising political battle in his bid to deny President William Ruto a second term in office.
Backed by the political establishment allied to retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, Matiang’i joins a crowded field of aspirants who will in the coming days seek the support of voters.
From the humbling defeat of 2022 in which President Ruto snatched victory from the governments preferred candidate Raila Odinga, Matiang’I has emerged as a force to reckon with in Kenya’s politics with both Jubilee Party and the United Progressive Alliance declaring their support for Matiang’i, with several politicians also warming up to backing his bid.
Who is this man who has joined the list of those queuing to replace President Ruto?
)
)
)
Early life and education
Born in Borabu, Nyamira county on in 1968, Matiang’i spent his childhood in Nyamira, attending a local primary school before joining Kiabonyoru Mixed between 1981 and 1984 for his O-levels.
READ: Uhuru among A-list guests as Matiang’i’s daughter weds lover in glamorous event
Mr. Livingstone Okwoyo who taught Matiang’i revealed in a past interview that he was not only bright, but also had exemplary leadership qualities which set him apart from the rest and earned him the trust of his teachers and the monicker ‘nusu mwalimu’.
He was the most trusted student because he was bright with exemplary leadership qualities which every other teacher admired…And that is how he was elevated from being a dorm prefect to a kitchen prefect.
Okwoyo recounted that Matiang’i was stickler for rules who served as a prefect and could walk around with a cane just like a teacher and cane anyone who was on the wrong side of the school rules back then when caning was common.
“Whenever Matiang’i was in the front of the kitchen line, no one would dare overtake seconds,” Julius Onduso who schooled with Matiang’i added.
)
He then proceeded to Kisii School for his A-levels and afterwards joined Egerton University where he graduated with his bachelor’s degree.
He holds Master of Education degree from the University of Nairobi, and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Communication and Social Change from the same institution.
Solid Christian background, family & weddings
He has largely succeeded in keeping his life private, with scanty details available on his family that also flies under the radar.
Matiang’i is married to one wife and the couple has two children (a son and a daughter) both of whom are married.
)
His daughter Wendy Bochere Okongo walked down the aisle on December 27, 2024 in a glamorous wedding, with former President Uhuru Kenyatta and Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka among dignitaries who witnessed as she said “I do” to Franklin Kashindi.
His son wedded in 2022 shortly after Matiang'i exited office with his former cabinet colleagues in attendance.
Impressive career & Mr Fix It moniker
When Uhuru Kenyatta won the 2013 election, Kenyans got a break from the norm when he unveiled a cabinet of experts that is credited with several accomplishments with Matiang’i among them.
He was handed the ICT docket at a monumental period for Kenya when IT was taking root in the country and shaping how citizens interact with government services and later moved to the Education docket.
At the Ministry of Education, he came with a new broom, sweeping out cheating in national exams that had become embedded in the system.
READ: DCI confirms date with Matiang'i days after jetting back in the country
He was also the unpredictable master of ambush who kept teachers on their toes for no one knew when he would show up and those found sleeping on the job were met with consequences.
When Joseph Nkaissery died it is Matiang’i that Uhuru turned to, handing him the Interior Security docket which he held alongside Education.
He later on handed over the Education docket to Amb. Amina Mohamed, retaining the Interior CS for the rest of Uhuru’s second and final term.
Career highlights prior to cabinet appointment by Uhuru
Prior to his landing appointment in the cabinet in 2013, Matiang'i served as the Eastern Africa Regional Representative for the Centre for International Development, Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, in the State University of New York (SUNY).
He is a governance and program implementation expert who has consulted for various bodies including the World Bank, Commonwealth Parliamentary Union and the United Nations Development Program
His impressive career has seen him serve as the Country Director for Kenya Parliamentary Support Program in addition to teaching at Egerton University and at the University of Nairobi.
Accomplishment in Uhuru’s cabinet
He left a solid record of excellence in every docket that he held, earning the moniker as Mr. Fix it.
He oversaw the digital migration in 2015, overseeing a seamless transition that also saw most government services transition to digital platforms with greater efficiency and becoming more available to Kenyans.
He was at the center of Kenya’s Vision 2030 Huduma Kenya Service Delivery Programme, a revolutionary initiative that redefined how government services are accessed with the establishment of Huduma centers across the nation, resulting in improved access to government services.
Established an efficient security management strategy that ran from the grassroots level, to the national level, significantly reducing insecurity in the country while also working with chiefs and other government officials to implement government's agenda.
)
He is also credited with instituting reforms to counter insecurity and terrorism, including the hiring of an additional 100,000 police officers which increased the ratio of cops to Kenyans from 1:900 to 1:600.
Cattle rustling and banditry that has emerged as a menace for the current administration in Elgeyo-Marakwet, West Pokot and Baringo counties was almost eradicated under his tenure
At the Ministry of Education, he restored integrity in Kenya’s education system, weeding out cases of examination leakage and streamlining procedures surrounding the national exams.