Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has reportedly launched his campaign to run for the presidency in 2027.
To bolster his bid to become Kenya’s sixth President, Matiang’i has reportedly hired the globally recognized firm Dickens and Madson, based in Canada.
This firm will receive Kes.32.5 million to lobby the executive and legislative branches of powerful nations, including the US, UK, Japan, and Kenya, as well as any other mutually agreed countries and international organizations, on Matiang’i’s behalf.
According to an agreement signed on July 13, 2024, and reported by The Africa Report, “The firm will also provide services to help devise and execute policies for the beneficial development and stability of your political goals and to assist you in attaining the Office of the President of the Republic of Kenya.”
The firm says it will “provide media and public relations services on behalf of the foreign principal’s (Matiang’i) goals and activities” and also lobby the executive and/or legislative branches of the US government to support Matiang’i’s presidential ambitions.
Montreal’s Dickens & Madson has also proposed to assist Matiang’i in preparing and disseminating necessary informational materials.
The lobbying firm has also indicated that the term of the agreement shall be for one year and renewable upon mutual agreement.
Matiang’i has remained tight-lipped on his presidential ambitions since his exit from active politics in 2022 when President Uhuru Kenyatta’s tenure lapsed.
Dickens & Madson have been instrumental in lobbying for African leaders including Zimbabwean autocrat Robert Mugabe and the eastern Libyan militia commander Khalifa Haftar.
They were also contracted in an “image polishing” $6 million (Ksh.774 million) deal with Sudan after the military regime seized power in 2019.
Matiang’i, who earned the nickname “super CS” during retired President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, aims to leverage his track record from his tenure in the ministries of ICT and Education.
While serving as ICT Minister, he successfully led the migration from analogue to digital TV broadcasting. During his time at the Ministry of Education, he introduced measures to curb rampant exam cheating between 2015 and 2018, earning widespread praise for his efforts.
