Former Attorney General and recently dismissed Public Service Cabinet Secretary, Justin Muturi, has fired back at President William Ruto over remarks questioning his competence. Speaking during an interview on Nation FM, Muturi dismissed the President’s allegations, maintaining that his track record speaks for itself.
President Ruto had earlier accused Muturi of incompetence during his tenure at the State Law Office, citing delays in the rollout of the Muslim Endowment Fund (Waqf) as one example. “I had a problem with the AG who was there; he was fairly incompetent,” Ruto said during a State House Iftar dinner with Muslim leaders, promising the matter would now be resolved under new leadership.
In a firm rebuttal, Muturi said the accusations were a political tactic aimed at deflecting from his recent comments about abductions and extrajudicial killings in Kenya. “I believe the President’s intention in making that accusation is to divert me from pursuing this issue,” he stated.
Muturi defended his tenure as Attorney General, noting that one of his key accomplishments was pushing for the independence of the State Law Office, in line with Kenya Kwanza’s campaign promises. “We had committed ourselves in the manifesto that we will make the office of the state law independent. I went there, and I did exactly that with the concurrence of parliament,” he said.
On the Waqf issue, Muturi clarified that the Waqf Act No. 8 of 2022 does not provide for the creation of a Muslim Endowment Fund as described by the President. “A Waqf is a religious, charitable, or benevolent endowment by a person who professes the Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission,” he explained.
Muturi’s dismissal and the subsequent public spat with the President point to growing rifts within the Kenya Kwanza administration, especially as scrutiny over human rights concerns and governance rises. As the political temperature heats up, Muturi’s defiance may signal a broader realignment within the ruling coalition.
