Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday, February 15 evening visited the home of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i after a police raid.
Addressing the media, the Azimio leader affirmed his support for the former CS noting that he would stand in solidarity despite his tribulations.
Odinga urged Matiang’i to remain strong asserting that the tribulations were a result of a political witch hunt by the Kenya Kwanza regime.
However, the ODM chief noted that he was yet to hear from Matiang’i since a contingent of police officers stormed his residence.
“I have not talked to Matiang’i, I am going to try and reach out to him. I want him to stand strong. We have seen these things before,” he stated.
Raila also accused the police of defying a court order- claiming that the officers went on to access the residence in defiance of a court directive.
He further decried the move by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers, arguing that the state had turned into disrespecting a man of the stature of Matiang’i who had served the nation in a high-ranking position.
According to him, the latest developments surrounding the purported arrest of Matiang’i were reminiscent of the dictatorial times when he was persecuted for his political stances.
“We are going back to a police state as a country. I do not think that Matiang’i should be treated as a criminal.
Why should somebody who has been in charge of internal security in a country be seen as a very big criminal? This is actually persecution,” Raila stated.
DCI boss Mohamed Amin had earlier in the day confirmed that operatives attached to the unit had secured access to the CCTV cameras fitted in Matiang’i’s residence.
Police officers and forensic specialists flocked the Karen residence as the DCI vowed to carry on with investigations aimed at unraveling the truth behind reports of a raid on Wednesday, February 8.
The DCI, in an earlier statement, maintained that no police agency was deployed to Matiang’i’s residence on the said night, necessitating investigations into the identity of the intruders.
However, Matiangi’s lawyer Danstan Omari denounced the move, terming it an indication that the state was desperate to settle political scores.
Further, the lawyer accused the officers of using force to break into Matiang’i’s home and failing to produce the court order they claimed to have secured.
“Nobody was present, the CS was not present. Immediately we arrived we asked them to give us the court order and we told them not to continue with any other thing until they present a court order. The officer in charge could not give a court order,” Omari told the press.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
