Ichung'wah Tells Al Jazeera That Justin Muturi Will Be Fired [VIDEO]

Ichung'wah, who was hard-pressed by Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hassan to explain the situation revolving around the former Attorney General, argued that CS Muturi was fighting his 'boss'

Marvin Chege Marvin Chege
Feb 27, 2025 - 19:15
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Ichung'wah Tells Al Jazeera That Justin Muturi Will Be Fired [VIDEO]
Collage of Kimani Ichung'wah and CS Justin Muturi. /KIMANI ICHUNG'WAH.JUSTIN MUTURI

National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah has claimed that Public Service Cabinet Secretary (CS) Justin Muturi will be sacked from his position.

Ichung'wah, who was hard-pressed by Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hassan to explain the situation revolving around the former Attorney General, argued that CS Muturi was fighting his 'boss', President William Ruto, in light of explosive claims that linked the Head of State to the abduction of his son, Leslie Muturi.

Terming the claims that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) had abducted Leslie as politically motivated, Ichug'wah remarked in the Head to Head show that “I tell you emphatically he has reasons to lie,”

When he was compelled by Mehdi to justify the seriousness of the claims as well as the fact that Muturi sits in President Ruto's Cabinet, Ichung’wah said, “He’s playing politics with a very unfortunate incident.”

While speaking in front of a live audience at London’s Conway Hall in an interview filmed last month, Ichung’wah hinted that Muturi knows 'he is on his way out' and that there were reasons he was dismissed as the AG.

“There are reasons why Justin Muturi was removed as Attorney General at the time of the demonstrations in June last year. There are reasons why he knows he's probably on his way out," Ichung’wah said. “He definitely knows it.”

This underscores the internal tensions among President William Ruto’s allies, some of whom have been in conflict since the swift ousting of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. 

Delays in swiftly dismissing Muturi have been as a result of the Head of State dealing 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.

On January 14, Muturi accused the NIS of abducting his son, Leslie, during the anti-government protests in June 2024. In a statement recorded at Kilimani Police Station, Muturi described the circumstances of his son's abduction on June 22, 2024, and how President Ruto’s intervention ultimately secured Leslie’s release.

According to Muturi, armed and hooded men kidnapped his son in Nairobi on that day. Despite reaching out to top security officials, including the Inspector General of Police and the Director of Criminal Investigations, he received no assistance. It was only after directly contacting President Ruto that his son was freed.

Meanwhile, during the interview, Ichung'wah labelled allegations that the police kidnapped and forcibly disappeared protesters in recent large-scale demonstrations “a conspiracy”. “I do not believe there are enforced disappearances perpetuated by the state in Kenya,” Ichung’wah countered.

The key ally of President Ruto was pressed to respond to the violent crackdowns by Kenyan police and security forces against demonstrators, particularly during the June 2024 protests, when thousands of young Kenyans took to the streets to oppose the government’s Finance Bill 2024.

According to the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), since Ruto assumed office in 2022, there have been at least 63 civilian deaths, 65 enforced disappearances, and over 1,400 unlawful detentions of protesters.

Ichung’wah was also asked to clarify his personal net worth after Junet Mohamed, the Minority leader in the National Assembly, joked that he was worth Ksh5 billion or US$38 million. “Not 5 billion,” he said. “Probably about close to 1 billion.”

CS Justin Muturi speaking to the media at Kilimani Police Station on January 14, 2025. /JUSTIN MUTURI

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