Justin Muturi's Party Dumps Kenya Kwanza Amidst Cabinet Reshuffle Rumours

Public Service Cabinet Secretary (CS) Justin Muturi's Democratic Party of Kenya (DPK) has announced its intention to exit the Kenya Kwanza coalition at a time when his relations with President William Ruto and his government continue to disintegrate.

DPK Chairman Esau Kioni and Secretary General Jacob Haji in a letter addressed to the Kenya Kwanza Coalition Secretariat, communicated the party's decision to cut ties with the ruling coalition over recent political occurrences that meant that its stay no longer served any purpose.

"Kindly take notice that our stay in Kenya Kwanza Coalition is no longer tenable due to the prevailing political developments," read the letter in part.

Adding "Democratic Party of Kenya, vide this letter, hereby gives a thirty (30) day notice to exit the Coalition as stipulated in the Termination Clause (8) in the Coalition Agreement. This Notice is effective from the date of this letter."

The letter was also copied to the Registrar of Political Parties, as well as the Secretary Generals of Ford Kenya, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), and the Maendeleo Chap Chap Party.

The move comes amidst worsening tension between Muturi and the government following the former's explosive claims that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) had abducted his son, Leslie.

On January 14, Muturi accused the NIS of abducting his son 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.

The stunning claims, as well as Muturi's criticism of the government, have rubbed proponents of the broad-based government the wrong way. Some critics of Ruto have called for Muturi to resign from the broad-based Cabinet while questioning Muturi's stance.

The CS has, however, remained defiant, unbothered by the backlash and the consequences of it. National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah in a recent interview with Al Jazeera revealed that Muturi was on the verge of being sacked, claiming he knows 'he is on his way out'.

“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.”

His rumoured exit could come around the same time as a rumoured Cabinet reshuffle to include allies of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who recently signed a political cooperation agreement with President Ruto, with some technocrats being forced to make way for political figures from the opposition.