Nyeri Town Member of Parliament Ngunjiri Wambugu has come out to explain the perceived differences between allies of Deputy President William Ruto and Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i.
The first-time legislator claimed Ruto’s team, dubbed Tangatanga, developed dislike for Matiang'i following his appointment as the chairman of the National Development Implementation and Communication Committee.
In an Executive Order 1 of 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta mandated Matiang'i's committee to supervise the execution of government programmes, projects, and the Big Four Agenda.
According to Wambugu, the Tangatanga group was unhappy with Matiang'i after he 'scuttled' their 2022 campaign plans by taking over projects they were using to drive their political agenda.
“I know they don’t like Matiang’i because he does not conform to their kind of politics of using government projects to buy political support, and he has made it clear that he only takes instructions from the President. This has annoyed Ruto’s camp,” the vocal MP said
The remarks come amid claims that Ruto's camp was planning to impeach Matiang'i over his alleged role in the fake gold scandal.
The allegations were made by National Assembly Minority Leader John Mbadi when claimed thatvtwo MPs have been directed to collect signatures to push for the Interior CS's ouster.
“Since Matiang’i was given this added responsibility of coordinating government functions, the Deputy President has been very unhappy, and together with his team, they are thinking that they have found an opportunity to deal with Matiang’i,” Mbadi said on Monday during a press conference in Nairobi.
MPs allied to President Kenyatta, and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga have vowed to shoot down any motion aimed at removing Matiang'i from office.