Nairobi lawyer Danstan Omari has urged former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i to withdraw his presidential aspirations and instead support President William Ruto’s bid for a second term. Omari asserts that the Jubilee presidential hopeful lacks the necessary political backing and voter numbers to secure the presidency.
Omari said Matiang’i’s political fortunes had weakened significantly, claiming that former President Uhuru Kenyatta, whom he described as Matiang’i’s primary political sponsor, has now transferred his support to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna of the Linda Mwananchi movement.
“Ukweli ni kwamba Rais Mstaafu Uhuru Kenyatta ametoka kwa Matiang’i, na sasa ako kwa upande wa Edwin Sifuna. Tusidanganyane, Matiang’i yuko pweke,” Omari said.
During an interview, he claimed that Matiang’i no longer commanded the national political machinery he once possessed.
“Nguvu alizokuwa nazo za kutembea taifa lote haziko. Nguvu zake za kisiasa zimeisha,” he said.
Omari challenged Matiang’i and other presidential hopefuls from the Gusii community to demonstrate their national appeal, questioning whether they have managed to mobilise substantial crowds beyond the Kisii region.
“Show me even one single rally the two have called outside Kisii land that has attracted a population of over 500 people. Who will vote for them?” he asked.
The lawyer argued that presidential politics was about national mobilisation and the formation of alliances that extend beyond one’s ethnic or regional base.
“Politics is mobilisation. Have they mobilised? They are not mobilising. Politics is having supporters around you. Who are their key supporters, nationally?” Omari posed.
He explained that his assessment of Matiang’i’s political prospects led him to conclude that the former CS could not mount a viable presidential campaign by relying primarily on support from the Gusii community.
“I’ve looked. I’ve assessed. Dr. Matiang’i has nowhere to go. He started as a national political leader. He has returned to the village,” Omari said.
He urged the Gusii community not to be misled into believing that Matiang’i could secure the presidency without building a broader national coalition.
“Let us not, as Omugusii, be cheated that Dr. Fred Matiang’i is going to be on the ballot,” he said.
Omari also questioned the presidential viability of another prominent Gusii politician, retired Chief Justice David Maraga, stating that the community needs to acknowledge the limitations of its numerical strength in national presidential contests.
He maintained that the Gusii community cannot win the presidency by remaining politically isolated and must build alliances with other communities.
“You cannot be president by only campaigning in Kisii,” Omari affirmed.
The lawyer cited Kenya’s constitutional requirements for a presidential victory, arguing that a candidate must secure more than half of the national vote and meet the stipulated county threshold.
“Being a president, the terrain called Kenya, the conditions to be a president is you must get 50 plus one of all the votes in this country,” he said, adding that he did not believe Matiang’i or Maraga could independently achieve the required threshold.
Omari clarified that his current stance marks a departure from his previous support for Matiang’i. He recounted representing the former CS when he faced arrest and disclosed that he had personally appealed to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga for intervention.
“Dr. Fred Matiang’i was my client. Everybody knows when he was being arrested, I defended him,” Omari stated.
“But do I protect him now? I don’t.”
Omari explained that he is now supporting Ruto due to his personal relationship with the President, whom he also identified as a client.
“Dr. William Ruto is my client. I represented him in a children’s matter. He’s a personal friend, and I’ve worked with him,” he said.
He asserted that he could not abandon Ruto for politicians with whom he did not share the same relationship, adding that he is backing a “two-term project” for the President.
Omari urged Matiang’i and Maraga to unite with South Mugirango MP Steve Mogaka and collectively support Ruto, arguing that such an arrangement would grant the Gusii community a stake in government.
“I am telling the Gusii community that we cannot purport to contest for national elections without other communities. We must look at our possibilities. Do we have the numbers for national politics? We don’t,” he remarked
