Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i has expressed his readiness to lead Kenya with fairness and discipline if given the opportunity to serve as president. Speaking during an interview with Spice FM on Wednesday, the former CS said his leadership philosophy is anchored in integrity, fairness, and accountability.
Matiang’i reflected on his tenure at the Ministry of Education, where he led sweeping reforms to restore credibility in Kenya’s examination system. He noted that his experience during that period shaped his belief that fairness and discipline are the foundation of meaningful national progress.
“We must create an environment that gives everyone a fair opportunity a fair shot at what they are doing—so that people get the grades they genuinely deserve,” he said.
Matiang’i recalled a case in 2015 when an entire first-year engineering class in a public university failed because students had been admitted using inflated secondary school grades. “The professors refused to move those students to the second year,” he said, noting that exam cheating had deeply eroded the quality of education.
He explained that his drive for examination integrity was not driven by harshness, but by a desire to protect fairness and uphold the credibility of Kenya’s education system.
“If that is a hard hand, I would like to apply the same in public life,” Matiang’i said.
The former CS emphasized that discipline and fairness must guide both individual and national conduct, adding that Kenya cannot progress in a culture where accountability is lacking.
“Discipline is destiny. We cannot move forward where everything goes, where people don’t do what they are supposed to do,” he remarked.
Matiang’i concluded by saying that the same principles that transformed Kenya’s education sector could drive progress in governance and public service.
“If we lived that way, we would be happy, we would be fine, and the society would move forward,” he said.
