Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has addressed the long-standing controversy surrounding the discovery of unidentified bodies in River Yala, calling for open investigations and pushing back against political finger-pointing.
In an interview aired on Kameme TV, Matiang’i said the matter was officially taken up by investigative agencies during his tenure.
“When the issue of River Yala came up, we asked the police and the DCI,” Matiang’i said. “They opened the file and started the investigations on the matter.”
Matiang’i, who left government in 2022, maintained that the process was ongoing when the administration changed.
“When we left government, investigations were going on to find out who was involved,” he said.
Matiang’i on River Yala Bodies
“In fact, when we wanted an inquest at that time, the security officers said, ‘We have the bodies and members of the family will come and pick the bodies.”
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The former CS pushed back against what he termed politically motivated accusations.
“It’s very easy to blame people around because it is politically convenient for you to do that,” he said. “Why can’t we have open investigations?”
He emphasized the need for transparency and accountability, stating that justice must follow due process.
“If someone comes and says, ‘I am the one who did this,’ we have the law,” Matiang’i said. “I am not above the law.”
The discovery of dozens of decomposing bodies in River Yala in 2022 sparked national outcry and raised concerns about extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Kenya.
Matiang’i on Killer Squad
In an interview July 1 on Citizen TV, Matiang’i broke his silence on the so-called “killer squad,” which has been blamed for a string of unexplained disappearances and killings during his tenure.
“I was not aware of the Special Service Unit of the DCI,” Matiang’i said.
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“The current president, when he was sworn in, asked me about it and I told him I was hearing it for the first time from him.”
The former CS added that ministers do not micromanage police operations.
“You need to understand: the minister cannot be part of all the operations of the police service. It’s not every operation every day,” he said.
He added that the idea of ministers ordering arrests is a myth.
“Once in a while, I meet a politician saying, ‘Oh, the minister arrested me.’ No minister has powers to arrest you. You were arrested by the police.”
Matiang’i, who served as a powerful Interior CS between 2017 and 2022, denied any personal link to the country’s unresolved killings and enforced disappearances, calling for full public transparency.
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