Police Raid Matiang'i's Home Again, Raila Visits

UPDATE: Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Wednesday, February 15 evening visited the home of former Interior CS, Fred Matiang'i after a police raid, stating that he was yet to hear from him.

The Azimio leader told the media that he would stand by the former CS despite his tribulations and termed the police raid as the result of a political witch hunt by the Kenya Kwanza regime.

"We are going back to a police state as a country. Matiang’i is now being treated as a wanted criminal but without any reasons being given for doing this. Harassment of an individual who has given service to this country, I do not understand why this is happening," he complained.

Raila also accused the police of defying a court order which had initially barred them from accessing the premises alongside the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), arguing that the state was demeaning a man of stature such as Matiang'i, who served the country in a top position.

The Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) has made significant progress in the ongoing investigations surrounding allegations of a raid in the home of former Interior Cabinet Secretary, Fred Matiang'i, on the night of Wednesday, February 8.

At the same time, police officers for the second time in a week raided Matiang'i's home in Karen, with eight DCI vehicles spotted at the compound during an operation which was supposedly meant to retrieve CCTV footage.

"They arrested the watchman when he tried to raise alarm over the raid on former CS Matiangi's home," Matiangi's lawyer Dunstan Omari claimed while confirming the raid, adding that the police officers acted against a court order which barred the investigators from forcefully retrieving the CCTV footage.

"I know more than twenty police officers who raided Matiangi's home by name, and given a chance I would identify them one by one," he went on, further confirming that Matiang'i was not at home when the raid occurred.

Lawyer Dunstan Omari at ex-CS Fred Matiang'i's home on February 15, 2023. /CITIZEN TV

On his part, the security guard who only identified himself as Edgar alleged that officers forced their way into the premises after he refused to open the gate, breaking it down and then capturing him before bundling him into a car.

"They came in and threw me into the boot of one of the cars and locked me inside for an hour then released me. They did not tell me anything save for one of the officers who asked me if the boss was in but I told him he was not," he explained while concealing his identity with a pair of glasses and a face mask.

Omari further noted that the police officers sneaked in unknowingly and ransacked the house and refused to present to him a court order, a matter which made Omari bar them from continuing their search.

"The police sneaked in without anybody knowing, arrested the watchman, broke the door and gained access to the former CS’s place, and ransacked the house."

"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 further added that the officers dismantled the CCTV footage before vacating the premises, thirty minutes after the media arrived at the scene.

"We told them that there is a message to the press release but they stated that they managed to get a court order today. So we asked them to give us a court order. They hurriedly gave instructions that let us vacate and that is why they speedily ran when the media came. 

"They have dismantled the CCTV footage, broken the door, and did massive damage in the former CS's home. it's such a deplorable issue."

DCI boss Mohamed Amin revealed in a statement on Wednesday, February 15 that after a comprehensive investigation, the investigative agency determined that no complaint has been made at any police station regarding the alleged raid.

Amin also revealed that it has recorded statements from the VIP police deployed to Matiang'i's residence on the night in question, as well as statements from the private security company guarding the property.

"In our Investigations Status Update last week, there was a question from the Media about the ownership of a Subaru car, KDK 488L, that according to the Nation Journalist was captured entering the home of the former CS.

"We have since established that the vehicle belongs to Inter Management Group Limited and was at the time being driven by Peter Gacheru," Amin stated.

He went on to reveal that Peter Gacheru is one of the directors at the Inter Management Group Limited and is a neighbour to the former CS at the Karen Ngong View Estate which is a gated community.

Advocate Kethi Kilonzo acting on behalf of Gacheru confirmed the ownership details in a letter to DCI complete with current copies of the insurance and logbook.

"We have also taken note of the allegations made by lawyers who held a meeting with Dr Matiang'i before the complaint was lodged on Live TV, including a claim that there were 200 lawyers surrounding the former minister to shield him from the police officers. We will continue to gather information from all parties involved in this matter.

Edgar, the watchman manning the gate at former Interior CS Fred Matiang'i's residence in Karen during a police raid on February 15, 2023. /CITIZEN TV

"This afternoon, our officers obtained a search order to obtain CCTV recordings from the home of the former Interior Cabinet Secretary to establish the facts surrounding the alleged raid. Upon completing our investigation, we will take action if any officers from any security agency were involved in any unauthorized activities, or if any false information was knowingly disseminated by anyone to the public," Amin added.

The DCI expressed its commitment to conducting impartial investigations and upholding the rule of law, adding that it is taking all allegations seriously and will continue to work diligently to bring the truth to light.

Footage shown on national TV revealed several police land cruisers and three Subaru vehicles. Omari confirmed that some of the officers present were those from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).