Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i during an interview on Spice FM.[courtesy]

By Njooge David

Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has accused the government of failing to protect Kenyans abroad, saying the country’s foreign policy has collapsed under poor leadership.

During an interview on Spice FM on Wednesday, October 29, Matiang’i called it “shameful” that activists Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were arrested in Uganda without any clear explanation from Nairobi.

“It’s shameful what’s happening in our country, citizens like Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo arrested by a neighbouring government, while our officials, including the Foreign Affairs Minister, can’t even say where they are,” noted Matiang’i.

 “This reflects deeper issues we must address,” he added.

Bob Njagi and Nicholas Oyoo were reportedly abducted in broad daylight in Kampala, Uganda, on October 1, when, according to human-rights groups, they were seized by armed men in uniform near a petrol station following an opposition rally.

Since the abduction, their whereabouts remain unknown.

Matiang’i argued that Kenya’s diplomatic standing in the region has been weakened by what he described as reckless foreign alignments and poor governance.

 “Our image is being battered, all of which are as a result of bad management of our foreign policy and bad management of our country,” he observed.

He warned that the government’s habit of “hobnobbing with terror groups” was damaging Kenya’s long-standing reputation as a regional peace broker.

 “What we are seeing going on in the country, where we are hobnobbing with terror groups, is not fair. This needs to be fixed,” explained Matiang’i.

He linked the country’s external failures to internal decay, including falling morale among civil servants and confusion in public institutions.

 “The morale in the civil service is at its lowest ebb because of intense politicisation. We are destroying our country,” he observed.

Pressed on whether he would run for president, Matiang’i responded that he “would like to be” President to restore order and accountability.

“I want to fix these challenges that we have,” he added