Matiang'i's 'sarakasi' is brainy and riveting and crosses many 'red lines'

People scamper for safety after suspected plain-clothes police officers lobbed teargas into Witima Anglican Church of Kenya in Othaya, Nyeri County, on January 25, 2026.[Kibata Kihu, Standard]

Former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i wears many hats, although he wore none to church last Sunday in Othaya, where he and other leading opposition politicians converged in solidarity with Rigathi Gachagua, aka Riggy G, who had been smoked out from another church the previous weekend.

By smoking out, I mean having those irritating teargas canisters being lobbed inside the church, or firing in the air, two acts that trigger smoke and smog, and Riggy G has had to constantly flee for dear life, putting to the test his credentials as a valorised son of Mau Mau, whatever that means.