Former Interior and Education Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has revealed that a personal encounter with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema inspired his political vision and decision to vie for Kenya’s presidency in 2027.
Speaking on Sunday, October 5, 2025, at the SDA Church in Lavington, Nairobi, during an Adventist Men Organisation (AMO) prayer breakfast, Matiang’i shared how his 2022 meeting with Hichilema profoundly influenced his outlook on leadership, resilience, and faith in governance.
A Meeting That Changed His Perspective
Matiang’i recounted being sent to Zambia as Kenya’s special envoy shortly after Hichilema’s victory over the late Edgar Lungu. Because both men share the Seventh-day Adventist faith, Hichilema invited Matiang’i to his home rather than the presidential office.
“The new President of Zambia, knowing I was an Adventist like him, asked that we meet in his house instead of the office,” Matiang’i said. “He asked me my favourite hymn, and we sang ‘He Leadeth Me’ each in our mother tongue. Our security teams were visibly puzzled.”
The moment, he said, was more than symbolic—it was a meeting of shared values rooted in faith and integrity.
Lessons from Hichilema’s Struggle
After the hymn, Hichilema walked Matiang’i through his home, recounting his ordeal under Zambia’s former regime—including multiple arrests, persecution, and the loss of a lawyer during a court appearance.
“He told me his house windows were once all broken while he was detained on trumped-up charges,” Matiang’i recalled. “Yet, he said he had to fight for the presidency to do the right thing for his people.”
That conversation, Matiang’i said, sparked his determination to pursue transformative leadership in Kenya, driven by courage, service, and moral conviction.
Matiang’i’s Call for Ethical Leadership
In his address, Matiang’i urged the church and the youth to demand accountability from leaders and reject divisive politics.
“You will hear many stories, some even maligning our families, but that’s the price of change,” he said. “If we truly love our country, we must be ready to sacrifice for it.”
He emphasized the need to move beyond tribal politics, calling on Kenyans to evaluate leaders based on character and competence, not ethnicity.
“It’s only during elections that we hear of who is Luo, Kikuyu, or Kisii,” he noted. “We can overcome this if we choose diligent leaders who serve all Kenyans equally.”
As the 2027 elections draw closer, Matiang’i’s remarks position him as a potential reformist candidate, inspired by faith and grounded in a message of unity, integrity, and accountability.
