President William Ruto has dropped Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi from his Cabinet. This is following a raft of Cabinet changes effected by the President in a reshuffle.
In an announcement of government reorganization on Wednesday, March 26, the Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service Felix Koskei announced that Mbere North Member of Parliament (MP) Geoffery Ruku has been nominated to fill the Public Service CS post.
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“HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT has today instituted further changes to the senior ranks of the Executive within Cabinet,” read part of the announcement.
Muturi, who had been seen as a thorn in the flesh of President Ruto’s Cabinet in the past, skipped several Cabinet meetings, only choosing to attend a handful.
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The former Attorney General caused a stir with his criticism of the government’s handling of the ongoing abduction crisis.
The embattled CS had come under fire, as a section of MPs called for his immediate impeachment or resignation following his tide against his boss.
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Muturi has been sacked days after he dismissed speculations that he was planning to resign amid calls by a section of government leaders asking him to step down.
While speaking on Thursday, March 20, the then Public Service CS dismissed the speculations insisting that his main focus remains ensuring accountability within government.
Muturi maintained that he had no intention of stepping down stressing that his focus was on holding the government accountable and ensuring adherence to the Constitution to safeguard the rights of all Kenyans.
For some time, Muturi had been at odds with the Kenya Kwanza administration that he served in, following his press conference in January where he revealed details of his son Leslie Muturi’s abduction.
CS Muturi speaks
He further vowed not to remain silent in the face of wrongdoing within the administration, adding that his resignation would not solve any issue.
“Can you resign for speaking the truth? One must speak the truth and if there are mistakes, I am ready to stand by my words and defend them,” he said.
Also Read: Ruto Reshuffles Cabinet, Appoints Gender CS [FULL LIST]
Before his appointment as Public Service CS, Muturi served as Attorney General from October 2022 to July 2024, when President Ruto dissolved the entire Cabinet.
He made his political debut in 1997 when he contested the Siakago parliamentary seat but lost.
However, he won the seat in a 1999 by-election following the death of then-Member of Parliament Silas Ita.
Muturi retained his seat in the 2002 general election and was appointed the opposition’s chief whip as well as chair of the Public Investments Committee in the 10th Parliament.
However, he lost in the 2007 general elections, after which he took a break from politics to focus on personal engagements.
He also participated in constitutional review committees, serving as the chairperson of the Centre for Multiparty Democracy.
Muturi’s term as Speaker
In the March 2013 polls, Muriuki Njagagua defeated him for the parliamentary seat of the newly created Mbeere North Constituency.
However, Muturi bounced back into the limelight after the elections when he became the Speaker of the National Assembly, leveraging his close relationship with former President Uhuru Kenyatta to secure the position.
Also Read: Justin Muturi Speaks on Resigning Hours to Ruto’s Reshuffle
He retained the seat in 2017 and served until the end of the Jubilee government in 2022.
In February 2022, he announced his bid for the presidency under the Democratic Party but later joined President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Muturi attended Kangaru School for his secondary education before joining the University of Nairobi in 1978, where he pursued a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) degree, graduating in 1981.
The former AG later enrolled at the Kenya School of Law (KSL) for a postgraduate course before being admitted as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 1982.
Also, he served as a principal magistrate from 1982 to 1997 before retiring from judicial service to enter politics.
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