Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang’i has issued a statement on allegations by the Standard that a certain minister is having an extra-marital affair with a young member of his church where he also serves as an elder.
Though the local daily did not mention Matiang’i’s name, the minister has demanded an apology. In a letter on Thursday, Interior communications director Mwenda Njoka argues that the minister described in the scandalous article is none other than Matiang’i.
“Although your newspaper did not mention by name the cabinet secretary in question, the description, viewed against the background of adjectives your newspaper has used in the past to describe CS Matiang’i, leaves no doubt that the CS being mentioned in the article is none other than Dr Fred Matiang’i,” the letter reads in part.
According to Mwenda, the article titled ‘Vocal Minister in Illicit Affair With Choir Girl’ contained unsubstantiated claims that were not accompanied by “a shred of evidence”.
The defamatory article was further picked up by bloggers, including Cyprian Nyakundi who coined his own title that read: ”Matiang’i Buys for his side-b***h a house.”
The blogger then alleged that Fred Matiang’i sent 10 CID officers in a convoy of 3 cars to arrest him over the article.
Matiang’i’s office noted that the fact that bloggers identified the CS in question as Matiang’i “clearly leaves no doubt as to the identity of the person your paper had in mind”.
The CS now wants a retraction of the article and an apology within the next days.
The letter did not, however, address claims by Nyakundi that the CS sent CID officers to his place to frustrate him.
