President William Ruto has defended his decision to fire former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi during the recent Cabinet reshuffle, stating that Muturi had dismissed himself through his actions.
Speaking during a media roundtable at Sagana State Lodge on Monday, Ruto revealed that Muturi had initially struggled to deliver when he was appointed as Attorney General. The President disclosed that Muturi himself had expressed concerns about his ability to perform due to his long absence from active legal practice after serving as a magistrate, Member of Parliament, and Speaker of the National Assembly.
“He said he might get overwhelmed. It was my fault because I persuaded him, but true, after some time, I saw he was overwhelmed. That’s why I decided to change his role and gave him the job as a Cabinet Secretary,” Ruto stated.
The President further accused Muturi of boycotting Cabinet meetings, a move that he said left him with no choice but to let him go.
“In between, he went on strike, refusing to attend Cabinet meetings. You are a minister, but you are on strike—what was I supposed to do?” Ruto posed.
Despite these shortcomings, Ruto insisted that he believes in giving people second chances. He noted that Muturi was given another opportunity in government due to their close political ties and previous collaborations during the 2022 elections.
“I am a person who believes in second chances. Even when it was difficult for him to perform as Attorney General, I still gave him another role because he was my friend. We campaigned together, and I was willing to support him,” he explained.
However, according to Ruto, Muturi failed to seize the opportunity and ended up “dismissing himself.”
“I gave my good friend Muturi a second chance, but in the process, he dismissed himself. What do you expect me to do?” he remarked.
Ruto assured that Muturi’s exit from the Cabinet was not a tragedy, as he still enjoys a good pension from his tenure as Speaker of the National Assembly.
“It is not the end of the road; he has a very good pension as a former Speaker, so he will not suffer much,” the President concluded.
