Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, on Saturday, November 29, took a sly swipe at the government after the chaos that was witnessed during the by-elections in several regions in the country.
Matiang'i, the Jubilee Deputy Party Leader, slammed the government for what he described as 'arrogance', accusing sections of government-allied leaders of using state influence to seize votes during the mini-polls.
According to Matiang'i, the government took advantage of the power at its disposal to swing votes their way through threats, intimidation and coercion.
He specifically pointed to Mbeere North, where, in a hotly contested by-election, UDA's Leo Wamuthende narrowly edged out Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) candidate Newton 'Karish' Kariuki. Those polls were, however, marred by cases of violence.
"What we have witnessed this week has been shocking. I want to thank the people of Mbeere North. You have stood firm against this arrogance," Matiang'i said during a funeral service for Canon Penina Ciambogo Ngùngì in Mbeere North, Embu County.
On the incidents in Malava, he added, "What we saw in Malava was unfortunate, and I prefer to be specific. Power comes and goes; ask me, I was Minister for the Interior one time, and I coordinated government functions. There is nothing I have not seen."
Matiang'i went on to warn that the trend of chaos and intimidation during polls had the potential to plunge the country into anarchy, as has been witnessed in several African countries in recent months, including the latest state, Guinea-Bissau.
"You will push people, and one day you'll be surprised by people's response to harassment, intimidation and abuse of power, as if power does not end," he added.
As far as the by-elections are concerned, government-allied candidates took the win in key battlegrounds for parliamentary seats, while the opposition had to settle for various MCA seats.
However, a subplot in the polls was the fact that in some regions, UDA and its allies were pushed to their limit, with the vote counts going down to the wire.
Mbeere North in particular saw Leonard “Leo” Wa Muthende narrowly edging out DCP's Newton 'Karish' Kariuki by a mere 482 votes.
The situation was similar in Malava Constituency, where David Ndakwa beat Seth Panyako by garnering 21,564 votes to his DAP‑K counterpart's 20,210 votes.
In the Banissa constituency in Mandera County, UDA secured another parliamentary victory with Ahmed Maalim Hassan elected MP with 10,431 votes.
As a subtle parting shot, Matiang'i referenced his past tenure as Interior Cabinet Secretary, reiterating to the government that "Power comes to an end."
"The challenge we have now is that we have bad leaders, and we will overcome this challenge. Keep hope together and keep hope moving," the former CS said.
