DP Ruto sent emissaries to meet Interior CS Fred Matiang’i over the controversial Police uniforms tender. The CS who last week took to media to tell off cartels allied to DP Ruto is said to have thrown out the emissaries after it emerged that they were still pushing to have the tender awarded to DP’s ‘people’.
The CS is said to have grown furious and told them to their face that he only agreed to meet them because he was tolfd they were coming to apologize for constantly nagging him and his team.
Matiangi and DP Ruto are in a vicious fight over the tendering process of the new police uniforms. whereas CS Matiang’i prefers to have the uniforms made locally by the NYS, Ruto is alleged to be fighting for another entity to be granted the tender to import from China (for lower cadre officers and Turkey for commissioned officers).
CS Matiang’i has however stood his ground and insisted that he will not be arm twisted to make decisions that are likely to lead to the loss of public funds.
This has set the tone for an ever growing battle of Supremacy between Ruto and Matiang’i.
Ruto reportedly asked the CS to award the tender to other people after it was reported that the National Youth Service (NYS) ran out of the required fabric.
However on Tuesday, last week the CS firmly stated that the uniforms would be made by NYS.
Without naming the DP directly, the CS further revealed that a certain politician wanted in on the multi-billion tender explaining that it would not happen.
“Listen to me very carefully. We will not import police uniforms, go and write another 10 headlines. We will not import police uniforms from any country. We have to promote the local textile industry,” stated Matiang’i.
Sensing that the CS was serious it is said that DP Ruto assembled a team of emissaries to talk down CS Matiangi and asking him to relax on DP. it is said that there have been two sets of emissaries both of which Matiangi has chased away. They include Leaders from his Kisii/Nyamira counties who are very close DP Ruto led by Hon Joash Nyamoko, Hon Ben Momanyi and deputy governor Maangi.
The two have also had disagreements in the past including the contested boda boda crackdown set to be implemented.
On Monday, while speaking to Kakamega residents, Ruto opposed the new crackdown explaining that even boda boda operation was a business and the industry players needed respect.
“There are many boda boda people in Kenya. They too are business people and I have told those concerned not to harass boda boda people,” stated Ruto.
In 2016, the war between Ruto and the then Education CS turned vicious after Matiang’i had appointed a new Vice Chancellor, Laban Ayiro, for the institution.
Ruto’s allies led by two Governors stormed the institution demanding that the CS hire Prof Isaac Kosgey.
In all the instances the Kenyan public has often sided with CS Matiangi and in the latest twist, the CS has full backing of Kenyans including the poor maize farmers whose funds were stolen by cartels around DP.
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