NAIROBI, Kenya – President William Ruto has publicly clashed with Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, marking the first visible fallout between the two.
The rift surfaced on Tuesday during an Iftar dinner at State House, Nairobi, where Ruto described Muturi as “fairly incompetent” during his tenure as Attorney General.
The President criticized Muturi’s handling of legal matters related to the establishment of Waqf, a commission tasked with managing Islamic endowments.
“I had a problem with the AG who was there before—he was fairly incompetent. But now, I have a very competent lady in the position, and I can assure you that the issues of Waqf will be sorted out within months,” Ruto said, referring to the current Attorney General, Dorcas Oduor.
His remarks came in response to concerns raised by Muslim leaders over delays in operationalizing the Waqf Act, 2022, which provides a framework for managing Islamic endowments.
Muturi responded to the President’s remarks, defending his record and clarifying that the Waqf Act does not provide for the creation of a “Muslim Endowment Fund.”
“Under the Waqf Act No. 8 of 2022, there’s no provision for a Muslim Endowment Fund. It must be understood that a Waqf is a religious, charitable, or benevolent endowment by a person who professes the Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission,” Muturi said.
This public exchange highlights escalating tensions between Ruto and Muturi, who has been openly critical of the current administration.
Muturi has accused the government of complicity in extrajudicial killings and abductions, issues that hit close to home after his son, Lesly, was abducted and later released following his appeal to the President.
Muturi recently revealed that he had written to Ruto, requesting to be excused from attending Cabinet meetings until the issues of abductions and extrajudicial killings are addressed either in Parliament or at the Cabinet level.
So far, the Public Service CS has missed at least three Cabinet meetings, signaling a deepening rift between him and the Head of State.
