Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has explained why lawyer Miguna Miguna was deported from Kenya.
Speaking in a media interview on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, Matiang’i attributed Miguna’s deportation to a ruling by Justice Isaac Lenaola on immigration matters when the judge was serving as a High Court judge.
“There was a ruling by Justice Isaac Lenaola prescribing how someone could regain their citizenship after renouncing it. Under the old Constitution, we did not have a provision for dual citizenship, and many countries required that if you acquired citizenship elsewhere, you had to renounce your original citizenship.
This matter was highly contested and went to court. The High Court ruling directed the Ministry of Interior and the Immigration Department on how this should be done. So the question is this: if you act contrary to that ruling, you create problems with the law,” Matiang’i explained.
Matiang’i Explains Why Miguna Was Deported
He further noted that while serving as Interior CS, he introduced a simple form at the Immigration Department to help Kenyans who had renounced their citizenship in the 1980s regain it quickly. According to Matiang’i, the form could be completed in just 1.5 minutes.
“By the time the drama unfolded at JKIA, about 200,000 Kenyans had regained their citizenship through that simple form. Now this individual travels on a Canadian passport to Nairobi and expects to enter using an ID. Of course, that cannot happen,” he said.
Also Read: Matiang’i Cleared in Miguna Miguna Case, Ksh 200K Fine Overturned
Matiang’i added that authorities tried to persuade Miguna at the airport to sign the form to regain his Kenyan passport, but Miguna refused. The government even sent the Director of Immigration and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to plead with him, but he still declined.
“We also contacted the Canadian High Commission to provide consular services within 24 hours since he held a Canadian passport. The government could then issue him a Kenyan passport, but Miguna still refused,” Matiang’i said.
Court Clears Former Interior CS in Miguna’s Case
He also stated that the media over-dramatized Miguna’s case, turning trivialities into major headlines, and urged focus on more pressing national issues.
Matiang’i denied claims that he disobeyed multiple court orders regarding Miguna’s deportation, calling them half-truths. He emphasized that a three-judge bench of the Court of Appeal acquitted him, confirming he did not disobey any court order.
Also Read: Matiang’i Warns Ruto on Handling Gen Z Protests
On September 19, 2025, the Court of Appeal ruled that the earlier contempt convictions against Fred Matiang’i, former IG Joseph Boinnet, and former Immigration PS Gordon Kihalangwa over the 2018 Miguna saga were procedurally flawed. The court set aside the fines (KSh 200,000 each) and the declaration of breach of Article 10.
The court stressed that while disobedience of court orders is serious, penal sanctions for contempt must follow due process, including a formal motion, notice, and hearing.
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