The Majority leader of the National Assembly, Kimani Ichung’wah, has termed the claims from the Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) is abducting his son, Leslie Muturi, as politically motivated.
According to Ichung’wah, CS Muturi has a ‘beef’ with his boss, President William Ruto, which he says could be behind the abduction claims.
“I tell you emphatically he has reasons to lie,” Ichung’wah told Al Jazeera’s Head to Head.
When pushed back over the seriousness of the claims and the fact that Muturi is close to Ruto and sits in the Cabinet, Ichung’wah said, “He’s playing politics with a very unfortunate incident.”
While speaking in front of a live audience at London’s Conway Hall in an interview filmed last month, Ichung’wah further revealed that Muturi knows ‘he is on his way out.’
“Justin Muturi knows he's probably on his way out," Ichung’wah said. “He definitely knows it.”
This highlights the internal conflicts among President William Ruto’s allies, some of whom have been at odds since the rapid removal of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.
On January 14, Muturi accused the NIS of abducting his son, Leslie, during the anti-government protests in June 2024.
In a statement recorded at Kilimani Police Station, Muturi detailed the events surrounding his son's abduction on June 22, 2024, and how President Ruto's intervention led to Leslie's release.
Muturi recounted that on June 22, 2024, his son was abducted by armed, hooded men in Nairobi. Despite reaching out to senior security officials, including the Inspector General of Police and the Director of Criminal Investigations, he received no assistance. It was only after he contacted President Ruto directly that his son was released.
In his statement, Muturi described the sequence of events leading to his son's release, saying, "Around 3:00 am, I decided to send a WhatsApp message to the President, informing him about my son's abduction."
Adding, "The President joked, asking why anyone would want to arrest a young person over the Gen Z demonstrations."
"Slightly over an hour later, Leslie called me to say he had been released and was at home,” he revealed.
Ichung’wah further told the host, Mehdi Hasan, that the allegations that the police kidnapped and forcibly disappeared protesters in recent large-scale demonstrations were “a conspiracy.”
“I do not believe there are enforced disappearances perpetuated by the state in Kenya,” Ichung’wah said.
