President Uhuru Kenyatta has appointed Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i as acting Interior CS. Dr Matiang’i replaces Major General (Retired) Joseph Nkaissery, who died suddenly on Saturday morning.
The appointment lifts Matiang’i to a higher profile, putting him in charge of two powerful dockets. It also makes him one of the President Uhuru Kenyatta’s favourites and most trusted Cabinet Secretary. He comes out as the most loyal minister as well.
The new assignment is perhaps the trickiest for Dr Matiang’i so far, touching on the country’s internal security when the country is taking uneasy steps towards the next general elections.
While serving as ICT Cabinet Secretary in 2015, Matiangi was also assigned to act as Lands cabinet Secretary for some time after then CS Charity Ngilu was pushed out of government. Matiang’i was then given the powerful Education docket there after.
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He has is seen as the most hardworking minister in the cabinet, turning around ministries and pushing for hard work and cracking down on cartels, especially at the Lands ministry.
In education, he has literally revolutionized nearly every section of the ministry. Schooling and teaching is no longer business as usual and examinations have been streamlined.
He will be the key focus at the ministry if he acts through the election period. He will have to deal with hate speech from politicians and ensure any flare-ups of violence are contained before and after voting.
[crp]
