I was not autocratic, things cannot happen on their own - Fred Matiang'i

According to the presidential aspirant, he was only following the dictates of the law and enforcing rules should not be misinterpreted as a sign of brutal leadership.

The ex-CS maintained that transformation cannot be achieved under leniency but by following the guidelines of Kenyan laws.

"Things are not going to happen on their own. I hear people arguing that we were on the same level as Singapore, and it is lovable, but how did they move out of that place? People made sacrifices and stuck to discipline, that is why they have moved forward," he told Spice FM on Wednesday.

"Things do not just happen; we have to work for them."

He intimated that he met a cluttered security ministry when he took office, noting that there were no records of licensed gun holders, a matter that had become a national security risk.

"We had the issue of proliferation of small arms in the country. You ask security people in the Ministry at that time, and they had no record of private people owning guns," he noted

"There is an Act that prescribes how you are supposed to own a firearm, and there is a regulation on how private people can sell guns. In an environment like that, how do you control security in your country?"

Matiang'i was citing the Firearms Act (Cap. 114), which requires individuals to obtain a firearm certificate from a licensing officer after proving a good reason for possession and that they can do so without endangering public safety.

The ex-CS therefore unleashed a national crackdown on gun ownership in a bid to overhaul the system, which bore fruit.

"I cancelled licenses for those holding a firearm, and we do it afresh while doing what the act demands," he noted.

"Five people, including people already in leadership positions, failed a psychiatrist test, which means they ought not to be having guns. One of them even murdered someone."

Matiang'i, therefore, noted that he will still employ the same remedy if he is elected president in the 2027 General Election.

He maintained that there is no need for new laws and he will instead enforce the existing ones to tame troubling vices like corruption.

"What we need is good leadership, and nothing is stronger than leading by example. You cannot tell people to stop stealing every day," he noted.

"I'd like to be president of Kenya because we need to fix the challenges that we have. I meet people every day, and the horror stories they tell you are very terrifying for a country our size."