Media reports on Saturday, March 11, claimed that retired President Uhuru Kenyatta had warned the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) bosses that he would visit the agency's headquarters in person if former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i was not released.
The claims came after an attempt by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who was Matiang'i's ally, attempted to intervene but his efforts were thwarted when officers manning its entrance barred him.
Experts, however, seemed elated that the saga did not result in the former Head of State making the dreaded trip fearing that the act would have thrown the country into a frenzy.
Speaking to Kenyans.co.ke, Political Analyst Martin Andati explained that Uhuru's visit to DCI headquarters would have caused massive public ripples locally and internationally.
"(The act) would have caused a lot of tension because Uhuru still has a lot of supporters. If both Raila and Uhuru mobilised their supporters to storm DCI, that would cause a lot of tension," the analyst stated
Andati further explained that Uhuru's protest visit to DCI headquarters would have caused a lot of tension and pushed President William Ruto's government to the brink of political turmoil.
"The country is at a cross-road which is why there is very little foreign direct investment into the country.
"The Shilling is in free-fall, we are experiencing serious drought and shortage of fuel in some petrol stations. Anything that tries to cause instability, including Uhuru's protest visit to DCI would have led to a worse economic state," he added.
Constitutional Lawyer Ndegwa Njiru, on the other hand, stated that issues surrounding Matiang'i's arrest were not justifiable, hence the reason why Uhuru was irked.
According to Njiru, the simple act of storming DCI headquarters by a former President would spark international outrage.
"It would have been tantamount to confirming that the current regime is on a revenge mission. It would also have confirmed that Matiang'i's case is merely political persecution.
"The international community would have felt like those who served in the previous administration are under siege by the current government," Lawyer Njiru observed.
The Constitutional Lawyer noted that the matter at DCI spiraled out of hand when the officers denied Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party Leader Raila Odinga entry to visit Matiang'i.
He wondered why DCI officers would violate the right of both Matiang'i and Raila while trying to comply with other orders.
Some of Matiang'i's lawyers claimed that DCI officers limited the number of advocates to three, something that Njiru completely disagreed with.
"The Law does not prescribe the number of lawyers that a suspect may be accorded at any level of a trial," the lawyer explained.
He pointed out that public institutions and agencies have been weaponised by the State as a measure of warning to political nemesis.
"Matiang'i is being charged with conspiracy to commit a felony under Section 317 of the Penal Code, yet the DCI errored in their contextualisation of the charge," he stated
He however remained confident that the courts will dismiss all the charges against Matiang'i since the former Cabinet Secretary did not commit any offence.
The former Cabinet Secretary was taken in for a statement at the DCI headquarters on March 7 where he was later detained for hours following claims that a police raid had taken place at his Karen home on the night of February 8.
He was soon after released but faces two counts including conspiracy to commit a felony and the publication of false information.
