Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has responded after President William Ruto said he was incompetent during his tenure as Attorney General.
The Head of State, who was speaking on Tuesday, March 25 night during an Iftar dinner at State House, accused Muturi of delaying the establishment of a Waqf, an Islamic endowment system that has been the subject of governance debates.
Ruto expressed confidence in Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, assuring Muslims that the issue will be resolved.
“As we move forward, we will continue to look at the issues that have been raised here—issues of education—and find a nexus between religious and formal education to determine what needs to be done,” Ruto said.
“On Waqf, I agree with you; it has taken too long. There is no reason for the delay, and I had a problem with the AG who was there. He was fairly incompetent, but now I have a very competent lady, and I can assure you the issues of Waqf will be sorted out,” he added.
In response, Muturi said there is no provision for a Muslim Endowment Fund under the Waqf Act No. 8 of 2022.
The Public Service CS also pointed out that waqf is managed by the Waqf Commission.
“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 Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission,” Muturi stated.
Muturi served as the Attorney General from October 2022 until July 2024, when President Ruto dissolved his cabinet.
The President later appointed Muturi as the Public Service CS while Dorcas Oduor was appointed as the Attorney General.
CS Muturi has in recent weeks slammed the Ruto government over the rise of abductions and extra-judicial killings.
In an interview on Wednesday, March 12, Muturi said he won’t resign from government, noting that resigning would go against his principles and the promises made by the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“I consider it morally wrong for me to resign because I am speaking about constitutionalism and against what we as Kenya Kwanza, promised Kenyans would never happen under our watch. Resignation for me would be an act of cowardice and I would be letting the young people down,” he said.
