By Dorothy Musyoka
In a fiery response to President William Ruto’s claims that he was fired for failing to attend Cabinet meetings, former Public Service, Performance, and Delivery Management Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has come out alleging that his dismissal was due to his firm stance against extra-judicial killings and abductions.
During a televised interview on March 31, 2025, at Sagana State Lodge, President Ruto stated that Muturi was relieved of his duties due to absenteeism from key government meetings.
However, in a detailed statement, Muturi refuted these claims, maintaining that he had refused to participate in Cabinet discussions because the government had failed to address the rising cases of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial executions.
Muturi recalled his public statement on January 12, 2025, in which he condemned the alarming trend of abductions and unlawful killings.
He urged the government to take action by ensuring the release of individuals held in captivity and prosecuting those responsible.
He highlighted three occasions this year when he was invited to Cabinet sessions, on January 21, February 11, and March 11—but each time, the agenda did not include discussions on extra-judicial killings.
“I, therefore, felt in good conscience that it would not be fitting for me to attend a cabinet meeting that did not address such a monumental issue that goes to the core of our constitutional basis and the rule of law.
According to Muturi, he wrote multiple letters to the President through the Secretary to the Cabinet, requesting that abductions and extra-judicial killings be included as a key agenda item.
These letters, dated January 20, February 10, and March 10, went unanswered.
“To date the President has never responded to any of my letters, clearly thereby indicating that the matter of abduction and extra judicial killings is not worthy of his attention or that of the cabinet,” he added.
“The third cabinet meeting took place on the 11th of March at State House Nairobi and like the other two I had been invited and sent the agenda for the day. The item was still not on the agenda. I wrote directly to the President on the 10th March 2025 again referring to the previous two letters and reiterating my position and I did beseech the President to direct that the vexing issue of abduction and extra judicial killings in our country be prioritized and placed on the agenda for future cabinet meetings,” Muturi reiterated.
Dismissing the President’s claim that his dismissal was based on absenteeism, Muturi said his sacking was politically motivated and intended to silence him for standing against human rights violations.
“There is no doubt that I was sacked because of my stand on the abductions and extra judicial killings and not because of the so-called absconding of cabinet meetings,” he declared.
His statement directly contradicts President Ruto’s remarks, raising fresh concerns about the government’s commitment to upholding justice and accountability.