Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has stated that he will not join President William Ruto on his forthcoming development tour of the Mount Kenya region.
Muturi, speaking on Saturday after meeting with Kikuyu elders, clarified that it is not his obligation to accompany the president on such visits unless his ministry’s agenda is directly involved.
The CS further noted that even during President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, he did not accompany him on every tour, emphasizing that his role does not require trailing the head of state.
“I just don’t follow the President. Even when Uhuru was President, it was never my practice or habit to follow him where he went because you know, as a President he has his schedule of work and I also have my schedule of work when I was a speaker and even now,” he stated.
“So unless it is something that touches the ministry that I am in, I have no business trooping around to follow the President.”
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi, who has recently clashed with the government over cases of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, has maintained that he will not step down from his position despite skipping more than three cabinet meetings since January.
Speaking on Saturday, Muturi renewed his call for the government to address the issue urgently. He suggested forming a committee or tribunal dedicated to investigating and curbing the growing problem.
“Nobody I mentioned in my statement is denying or even recording a statement challenging the veracity of what I have stated and that is why I think a commission of inquiry would be the best thing because then we will be able to test who is telling the truth and who is not,” he opined.
During a tell-all interview with Citizen TV on March 12, Muturi made it clear that he would not be leaving his seat on hos own accord but was ready to get fired if it got to that.
“Staying or not staying in cabinet is the prerogative of the appointing authority, so I don’t know how long I am likely to last in cabinet. That is entirely the prerogative of the president, so I have no illusions of how long I could stay,” Muturi noted.
“When I took up this job, I was well aware of those provisions of the constitution, so I am alive to that, so whatever happens is purely on the basis of what the President desires.”
Muturi revealed in the interview that he had formally requested to be excused from cabinet meetings until the issue of forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings was brought before the cabinet for discussion.
The CS stirred controversy on January 12 when he publicly named senior government officials allegedly linked to the abduction of his son, Leslie, during the June Gen-Z protests.
Since then, Muturi has persistently pushed for action on the matter, a stance that has put him at odds with members of the government he serves