As the Swahili adage goes, ‘Mcheza Kwao Hutuzwa’ perfectly painted the stature of Dr Matiang’i in the African continent. And true to his word, former President Uhuru Kenyatta showered his most trusted lieutenant with praises for a work well done.

At the 3rd Ministerial Review and Performance Retreat held in Abuja hosted by President Buhari inState House. Dr Matiang’i was the man of the moment. In a detailed expedition, Uhuru vividly explained how Dr Matiang’i was pivotal in the smooth running of his administration. He took a moment to thank him for shouldering the insults even from his own JUBILEE party.

Before Dr Matiang’is inception into the interior ministry, there was chaos all over. For instance, Kenya was on frequent attacks by the Al-Shabaab militia groups, there was poor coordination among various security agencies which made the security of our nation susceptible to attack. With Dr Matiang’i in play, there was a radical change. Government through Dr Matiang’i forced the various security apparatus to work in unison and in so doing peace and tranquillity reigned tall, thanks to the Solomonic wisdom of Dr Matiang’i.

“We created a government coordination committee that was chaired by a minister who is with me here today (Matiang’i) and whom I hope will be allowed to share with you on the technical presentation on how they went about it. Under him, they met regularly

And true to his call Dr Matiang’i ensured key projects started by the Uhuru Administration were completed and commissioned well ahead of time and within budget. Notably, the key projects were; the expressway which is one of a kind in Africa, the Lamu port which has created several jobs for our people, the Mombasa pipeline which is up and running, the Kisumu port which was done by our disciplined forces and saved taxpayers money, the last mile connectivity to 3.7 million households; a game changer in the modern world and not forgetting the Naivasha Inland Port which espoused the economy Nakuru County.

The hallmark of the Dr Matiang’i effect is evident in the security docket. It is worth noting that Dr Matiang’i revitalised various security agencies and tapped the expertise and manpower which has seen terror attacks take a downward trajectory. Our borders are safe and secure since the civilian-officer relationship was improved and as such the public can share critical security intel with our men and women in uniform thereby saving us time and resources of having to combat terrorism. The persistent cattle rustling has not been spared either. With the leadership and coordination of Dr Matiang’i, there has been a swift response in real-time curbing bandits and offering humanitarian aid in times of crisis. This the former head state said, enabled his administration to focus on critical areas geared towards improving the economy.

Clearly Dr Matiang’i stands to be a man who will do all in his power to see a peaceful Kenyan and a united nation, the tenets president Uhuru stood for. The former head of state could not shy away from appreciating Dr Matiang’is monumental efforts in overseeing a peaceful General Election in Kenya after 25 years. He said, “it was historic and heroic of you my friend. You portrayed a picture of a true patriot, that even when our side was losing we didn’t bend laws to jeopardize the whole exercise”

We also had a technical implementation committee under a permanent secretary who met every week and prepared briefs on programmes and what each Ministry was supposed to do to allow our flagship programs move at a much faster pace.