CS Justin Muturi Responds To Skipping Ruto's Cabinet Meeting Amid Fallout

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi on Tuesday, January 21 responded to being conspicuously absent in President William Ruto’s first Cabinet meeting of 2025 held at Kakamega State Lodge.

The absence followed recent remarks against President Ruto's administration over its failure to address the recent abductions in the country.

Muturi's absence became evident when the Cabinet Secretaries posed for a group photo after the meeting, making his no-show particularly notable. According to reports, the former Attorney General was allegedly not invited to the meeting, fuelling speculations of a possible fallout between him and the Head of State.

Muturi’s absence also sparked questions on whether President Ruto could consider dismissing him from his Cabinet position barely three months after his appointment.

Cabinet Secretaries at the Kakamega State Lodge on January 21, 2025. /PCS

Some Kenyans believed that Muturi's bold criticism against Ruto could have been politically motivated, but others alleged his sentiments were due to frustration with the current regime.

According to an NTV report, Muturi was asked about his absence but did not provide a direct response. Instead, he advised journalists to seek clarification from Mercy Wanjau, the Secretary to the Cabinet. "Please confirm from the secretary to the cabinet...," Muturi wrote.

President Ruto, or his office, has not publicly addressed or commented on Muturi's absence at the time of publishing this story, leaving many unsure of the meaning of his silence. 

This development comes in the wake of Muturi's recent allegations against the National Intelligence Service (NIS), claiming that the agency abducted his son, Leslie Muturi, claims which have sparked not just controversy but loud resignation calls.

Saboti Member of Parliament Caleb Amisi in a brief statement on January 12 called on Muturi to resign if he thought the government had gone against the rule of law.

"There is nothing you lose by resigning from a government you think has gone against the principles of social justice and rule of law. That is how you can contribute immensely to the struggle for a better Kenya. Press conferences are for the cowards and faint-hearted," Amisi remarked.

Aldai MP Marianne Kitany, echoing Amisi's sentiments, stated that if Muturi does not resign, she intends to sponsor a censure motion against him in Parliament. 

"Six months since your son was abducted and you have not reported. You are the minister for Public Service meaning all these people report to you, so when you go to the media aren’t you telling us you are incompetent? What are you doing in that office? Just resign and start addressing us as a citizen. You cannot fight the government from the inside.

“If you cannot respect the government you are serving, my job as an MP is oversight and I’m telling you to resign and if you don’t I will table a censure motion against you," she said.

In a recent session of the National Assembly, Ruto's outspoken point man and Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, mentioned that there would be no more time wasted on such motions against Cabinet Secretaries, hinting that Muturi may not be impeached, but reassigned to a new government post away from the Cabinet, if not fired by President Ruto.

The Head of State is presented with a delicate situation politically, with the removal of Muturi having damaging implications for Ruto's grip on the Mt Kenya region, especially on his re-election bid in 2027, where he will need the vote-rich region to win a second term.