CS Matiang'i Rubbishes Claims Of Switching Of Internet On Election Day

Deputy President William Ruto’s allegations of a government plot to meddle in the conduct of the impending elections on August 9th have been debunked by Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i.

Dr. Matiang’i dismissed Ruto’s accusations as baseless and absurd, and he reaffirmed the government’s dedication to helping the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) organize and deliver free and fair elections.

The CS assured Kenyans that there would be no interference with internet or electricity access, contrary to what the vice president had claimed. He advised Kenyans to disregard allegations of election rigging schemes.

“The Government has no intention of interfering with facilities and utilities that support the conduct of the general elections. It will not shut down the Internet or disrupt power supply,” said Matiang’i.

“People forget that we sit at the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a country. We are very respected at ITU. Kenya has taken its place of pride in the ICT sector globally. How would we result to doing such petty things like shut the internet?” posed Matiang’i.

During a media briefing on election security, the CS was addressing at the Administration Police Training College (APTC), Embakasi.
He charged that the DP and his political allies were channeling pent-up resentment and unwarranted rage towards security personnel who were merely carrying out their duties.

“Ignore these pent-up frustrations that are being vented on security officials and chiefs. We are just on the receiving end of some people’s frustration, disappointment and unnecessary anger,” said the CS.

On the issue of National Government Administrative Officers especially Chiefs and their Assistants being allegedly mobilized to rig the polls, Matiang’i said: “These unsubstantiated allegations are consistent with frequent, unfounded, and unconscionable attacks against the Government and public officers by His Excellency the Deputy President.”

“The Government is run through established and well-known structures and accountability channels. It is not a secret society cloaked in conspiracies and dark agendas. As a senior member of the same Government, His Excellency the Deputy President ought to know and manifest an understanding of how Government’s decisions are arrived at and executed,” said the CS.

He also denied that top security officials were allegedly meeting to plot and incite ethnic unrest in the Rift Valley region, and he questioned why the nation’s second-in-command had not brought the issue up in front of the National Security Council or any formal security forum.

“…official channels to register concerns with the conduct of public officers are well laid out. Chastising and threatening them in public is not one of them,” said Matiang’i adding that the DP was actually endangering the lives of security officials whom he(Ruto) has been accusing of being partisan.

“Personalised attacks that cast aspersions on public officers who have no opportunity to defend their honour against their seniors injures reputations potentially and exposes the victims and their families to harm… Repeatedly dragging the names of innocent civil servants who are not vying for any elective office into political duels is unfortunate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the CS has reassured Kenyans that all measures have been set in place to ensure security before, during and after the elections.
“Kenyans should just ignore some of these things, treat them with the extreme contempt they deserve and focus on the election day, let us go like law-abiding citizens, queue, vote and wait for what IEBC will tell us… Our democracy has come of age. this is a beautiful country and God has been gracious to us,” said the CS.

He was accompanied by among others Interior PS Karanja Kibicho, Inspector General of Police Hillary Mutyambai and DCI boss George Kinoti.