Since former Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Justin Muturi was sacked by President William Ruto and given his recent bombshells on the Head of State, questions have emerged about whether he served as Attorney General without being an advocate.
Muturi was dismissed as Attorney General last July when Ruto disbanded his entire Cabinet, except for Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, following weeks of deadly youth-led protests over proposed tax hikes.
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Ruto cited Section 12 of the Attorney General’s Act in dismissing Muturi, stating that the decision was based on “a holistic appraisal” of his Cabinet, its achievements, and its challenges.
The said section reads: “The President may remove the Attorney-General or the Solicitor-General from office only for serious violation of the Constitution or any other law; gross misconduct, whether in the performance of their functions or otherwise; physical or mental incapacity to perform the functions of office; incompetence; or bankruptcy.”
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Qualifications for Being an Attorney General
According to the Constitution of Kenya, the qualifications for the Attorney General are the same as for the Chief Justice.
This means that they must be qualified to hold the office of a judge of a superior court and meet the requirements of Chapter Six of the Constitution.
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Both positions require at least fifteen years of experience as a superior court judge.
He/ she should have at least fifteen years’ experience as a distinguished academic, judicial officer, legal practitioner or such experience in other relevant legal field.
Additionally, the Attorney General must have held these qualifications for an aggregate period of fifteen years.
Also Read: Muturi Exposes How Ruto Enticed Him to Be Attorney General with Lucrative Contracts
Truth About Justin Muturi Serving as Attorney General Without Being an Advocate
According to Muturi’s profile, he pursued a bachelor’s degree in law and graduated from UoN in 1981. The former AG later joined the Kenya School of Law.
He was admitted as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya in 1982 and served as a principal magistrate between 1982 and 1997 before retiring from judicial service to enter politics.
However, a search by The Kenya Times on the Law Society of Kenya (LSK) database did not yield any results for former Attorney General Justin Muturi.
Muturi, whose full name is Justin Bedan Njoka Muturi, does not appear in the LSK records under various name combinations. Searches for Justin Muturi, Justin Njoka, and Bedan Njoka returned no results.
A search for Justin generated 20 results, none of which matched Muturi’s full name. The name Bedan appeared once under Njeri Bedan Mwangi, while Muturi yielded 62 results, with the earliest admission in 1998 and the most recent in 2025, but none linked to Muturi.
The name Njoka produced five results, including admissions dating back to 1986, but none associated with Justin Njoka, Bedan Njoka, or Muturi Njoka.
This means that for years, Justin Muturi may never have renewed his practising licence raising ethical and integrity concerns about him occupying such a high office.
Also Read: Muturi Issues Warning to President Ruto
Questions Raised on Former AG’s Qualification
Former LSK president Nelson Havi while taking to his official X account sated that Justin Muturi should be charged for falsely holding himself out as an Advocate and serving as AG for three years when he was not an Advocate.
“That is a serious crime. LSK is busy arresting small quacks in Kiambu and Ruiru and passing over this big one. How did they miss him?” He posed.
Kenyans reacted to Havi’s post, questioning how the government, from intelligence briefings to parliamentary vetting, failed to notice they were appointing an unqualified person to the highest legal office.
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