Matiang’i assures Kenya’s international partners of smooth power transition after August polls
Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i has assured international partners that there will be a smooth and peaceful transition of power after the August 9 general election.
Matiang’i said there were elaborate plans in place to ensure the relevant instruments of power will be handed over peacefully to whoever will form the next government.
The CS was speaking in Nairobi during a briefing meeting of the Cabinet Committee on National Government development projects and development partners.
“Today, we have given assurance to our partners that, as a country, we are ready to proceed
and facilitate the IEBC to conduct the elections. The agencies that have got the constitutional
mandate to facilitate the Commission during the elections are represented here,” he said.
He allayed concerns that the forum was usurping the role of the IEBC.
“Whether the country will have free and fair elections is a question that only Wafula Chebukati
and the IEBC can answer.
"We are clear that is the mandate of the IEBC. Ours is to provide whatever support IEBC requires to get it done,” the CS said.
Treasury CS Ukur Yatani, who was present during the meeting, said the country’s economy was on the rebound with a projected average GDP growth of 7.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2022.
He said the stimulus packages implemented by the Government to cushion the economy during the pandemic were bearing fruits with agriculture and the hospitality industries recording impressive growth.
ICT CS Joe Mucheru told the meeting that the government will respect the media space and will not shut down the internet.
“We sadly note there is a lot of abuse of the media in the country and especially on social media. But we will not shut it down despite the provocation and temptation to do so,” CS Mucheru said.
