Matiang’i to Ruto: Answer Kenyans when they ask you tough questions

Jubilee party leader Fred Matiang’i [C] in Mombasa on Monday / BRIAN OTIENOJubilee deputy party leader Beatrice Gambo [L] and party leader Fred Matiang’i [C] in Mombasa on Monday / BRIAN OTIENOJubilee’s David Murathe, Fred Matiang’i, and Beatrice Gambo, and Kadu Asili party leader Mudzo Nzili in Mombasa on Monday / BRIAN OTIENOJubilee party leader Fred Matiang’i [C] and deputy party leader Beatrice Gambo [R]in Mombasa on Monday / BRIAN OTIENO

Jubilee Party leader Fred Matiang’i has challenged President William Ruto to respond to questions from Kenyans and the oppositions about government decisions.

Matiang’i said citizens have a right to seek information about the actions of their government and should not be discouraged from doing so.

He was speaking in Mombasa on Monday after meeting leaders of Kadu Asili, where he criticised Ruto’s response to a question from a local journalist during the President’s recent tour of the Coast.

The journalist had asked Ruto about claims made by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua concerning the exploitation of minerals in the country.

Matiang’i criticised the response, saying leaders should answer legitimate questions from the public.

“I don’t know why you should be abused for asking that question especially when you are asking your leader,” he said.

“We try to be respectful of our leaders. We are very sad about some of the language some of them use. But we will not be dissuaded from the path that we have chosen of respect, integrity and focus in the manner in which we engage the public debate,” Matiang’i said.

He said Jubilee and the united opposition would continue to respect the Constitution and constitutional offices while holding the government to account.

“We will continue asking questions about the Dangote oil refinery in Lamu,” he said.

Matiang’i said the government should investigate and act on any wrongdoing surrounding the proposed refinery if there is evidence to support such claims.

“The best way to deal with this is to answer the questions. If, for example, there was a case where Dangote came here and he was shaken down, I don’t know why leaders of government would like to tell us stories. My message to them is simple. Act,” he said.

“If they have told you who shook them down, arrest them. Who is supposed to arrest them? It is not us, Wananchi. You can’t come to tell us stories every day. You are the ones who are in office. You are the ones who have powers to act. Please act. Arrest those people,” he added.

Matiang’i said Kenya needed foreign investment to support economic development but insisted that major projects should be subject to appropriate disclosure and oversight.

He said there could be legitimate security reasons for withholding sensitive information from the public but argued that Parliament should be given access to such information where necessary.

“So, if you have a problem with the public or going to press conferences to do that disclosure, we have departmental committees in the House, which are led by elected leaders, elected by the people of Kenya.

“You go before them and disclose to them and then work with them on confidentiality. In turn, those leaders will explain to their people. That is how a democratic environment works,” Matiang’i said.

He said the same approach should apply to agreements involving mineral resources.

Matiang’i argued that if parliamentary committees do not have information about major government agreements, yet are asking the same questions as the opposition, it raises concerns about accountability.

“Therefore, I would expect that the Energy, Finance, Trade or any other relevant committee of the House to have full disclosure of the agreements between investors and the government. That is not too much to ask,” he said.

The Jubilee leader also rejected claims that the opposition lacked an agenda, saying its focus included development and job creation in the Coast region.

“I am very surprised that someone thinks that we don’t have an agenda. How can we be wasting time spending all this time we have spent since morning working on how we can move forward,” he said.

“We are talking about the Coast Region Integrated Development. We have an agenda. We are sitting here looking at how we are going to provide jobs to the people of the Coast. How we are going to manage resources differently from how it is being done by this administration,” Matiang’i said.

He said a government under his leadership would provide greater transparency on the exploitation of minerals at Mrima.

“If I were president today, there would be no debates about how Kenya is concessioning in Mrima. Everybody would know everything that is going on,” he said.

Matiang’i maintained that major government decisions should not be conducted in secrecy, insisting that Parliament should play its oversight role in matters involving public resources and major investments.