Former Interior CS and 2027 presidential hopeful Fred Matiang'i has cancelled his three-day rally in Meru and Embu counties scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Addressing a press briefing on the same, PNU party leader Peter Munya, Matiang'i's host for the rally, decried a plot to deploy goons into the rally, to cause chaos and paint both the party and the former Interior CS ill.
''We have deep intelligence in the government, and we know what is going on. We have been told that there is a plot to deploy goons in our meetings to cause destruction and then blame it on people who attend our meetings, so that they can destroy Matiang'i and the party's name,'' Munya alleged.
He further revealed that after much consideration, they also saw it wise to postpone the rallies to mourn Kenyans who have lost their lives during the recent protests in the country.
"We’ve chosen to postpone the meeting out of respect for those who lost loved ones during the demonstrations. We still plan to hold it, but only when the time is right," Munya said.
According to Munya, Meru local leaders had prepared adequately to welcome the former CS, who is in a quest to rally supporters behind his 2027 bid.
The Kenya Social Congress Meru County branch had pledged to warmly welcome Matiang’i, expressing their eagerness for his visit to the county before he proceeds to neighbouring Narok County.
"We are welcoming our leader and friend Fred Matiang'i here in Meru so that he can sell his agenda to us, and convince us to vote for him in 2027. We know there are other malicious leaders paying goons to disrupt such rallies, we would like to warn them to refrain from such," a member of the party had said before the postponement.
The leaders have blamed the government for deploying the goons who have been wreaking havoc in different parts of the country.
"The deployment of goons is strongly associated with the government because it wants to claim that the opposition is sending these goons, but the citizens know the truth," Munya continued.
The postponement comes days after opposition leaders, including Governor Natembeya, Rigathi Gachagua, and Fred Matiang'i, among others, were attacked and stoned during a rally in Bungoma County.
Their convoy was hijacked while they were on their way to Kitale through Chwele. During the incident, they were stoned, forcing them to drive off to safety.
