Former Cabinet Secretary for Public Service and Human Capital Development Justin Muturi has distanced himself from a statement circulating online regarding his dismissal from office.
On Wednesday, March 26, President William Ruto made changes to his Cabinet, resulting in the removal of Muturi from office.
However, a purported statement from Muturi surfaced online, claiming he had not been officially informed of any decision to relieve him of his duties.
The statement, which bore his name and details, declared his continued commitment to serving the nation.
Muturi took to social media to clarify the situation, posting a screenshot of the circulating statement with "fake" stamped across it and urging the public to disregard it.
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"Disregard this," he wrote.
Muturi was sacked hours after Ruto criticized his performance, particularly during his earlier tenure as Attorney General, labeling him "fairly incompetent" for delays in establishing Waqf.
This public rebuke occurred during an Iftar dinner at State House on Tuesday, March 25, where Ruto contrasted Muturi’s record with the current Attorney General, Dorcas Oduor, whom he praised.
"I had a problem with the AG who was there, he was fairly incompetent. But I now have a very competent lady in that position, and I can assure you that the issues of Waqf will be sorted out in a matter of months," Ruto said.
Notably, Muturi's ouster follows months of friction with Ruto, primarily over Muturi’s vocal criticism of the government’s handling of abductions and extrajudicial killings.
He had boycotted several cabinet meetings, insisting he would only attend if issues he had raised, including forced disappearances, were formally addressed.
“It is mandatory to attend Cabinet meetings unless excused by the chairman of the Cabinet who is the President. In my case I have formally written and requested to be excused from attending Cabinet meetings until or unless the issue of abductions and extrajudicial killings is officially tabled before Cabinet through a Cabinet memorandum,” he explained.
Ruto nominated Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku to replace Muturi as the Public Service CS.
Alongside Muturi’s firing, Ruto implemented additional reshuffles; Aden Duale, previously the Environment CS, was reassigned to the Health Ministry while Deborah Barasa, formerly the Health CS, was moved to the Environment Ministry.
Hannah Cheptumo, the widow of Baringo Senator William Cheptumo, was nominated as the new CS for Gender and Culture.
