In a bold and provocative statement, former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi has challenged Parliament to consider exercising its constitutional powers to impeach President William Ruto under Article 145 of the Constitution, citing the President’s own admission of illegal abductions.
Speaking amid growing national outrage over alleged human rights violations, Muturi appeared to sympathize with the recent wave of Gen Z-led protests that targeted Parliament, suggesting that their frustration with the current political leadership might be justified.
“Maybe the Gen Z actually had a point when they decided to overrun Parliament,” Muturi said. “There is no reason why Parliament should not exercise their power under Article 145 and impeach the President because he has violated the Constitution — in his own admission — that people have been abducted and returned.”
Muturi’s remarks refer to President Ruto’s controversial statement acknowledging that certain individuals had been abducted and later returned to their families. The former Speaker raised sharp questions about the President’s knowledge of the operations, asking:
“Who ensured that they were returned to their families, because you seem to know?”
The Constitution of Kenya, under Article 145, allows the National Assembly to impeach the President on the grounds of a gross violation of the Constitution or any other law, where sufficient evidence exists. Muturi’s invocation of this article marks a dramatic escalation in political rhetoric and could stir renewed calls for accountability within Kenya’s top leadership.
While speaking in an interview on SpiceFM Muturi described the political landscape as business oriented rather than as a way to serve the people. Muturi remarked that those in leadership positions did not try to understand the grievances of the Gen Z during last year’s protests citing it as the public being tired of excesses within leadership.
The President’s comments on the abductions — widely seen as an attempt to show responsiveness to public pressure — have instead opened up a storm of questions about state-sanctioned violations, potential abuse of security agencies, and the extent of executive knowledge or complicity in these operations.
Muturi, once a key ally of President Ruto and now a vocal critic, joins a growing chorus of civil society leaders, legal scholars, and opposition figures demanding transparency and justice over what many are calling extrajudicial actions.
As public pressure mounts and parliamentary leaders remain largely silent, Muturi’s statement could galvanize renewed debate about the balance of power, the integrity of democratic institutions, and the resilience of Kenya’s constitutional order in the face of executive overreach.
Whether Parliament will rise to the challenge, or retreat into partisan silence, remains to be seen.
By Kelly Were
