Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi issued a scathing response to President William Ruto's recent comment about forced disappearances in yet another clap back to the Head of State.
On Monday, Ruto held a joint press conference with visiting Finnish President Alexander Stubb at State House, where he confirmed that the forced disappearances indeed took place. The president assured the country that all Kenyans reported missing under suspicious circumstances had been reunited with their families.
In response to Ruto's comments on Wednesday, May 14, Muturi reiterated that the president only confirmed what he had been lamenting about for months.
"He just confirmed what I’ve been saying all along," the former CS said on X, formerly Twitter.
Despite the president's assurances on Monday, Muturi, who was dismissed from Cabinet in January, dismissed Ruto's assurances as insufficient.
He added, "What was so difficult about simply acknowledging that these were state-sponsored killings and forced disappearances and putting a stop to them sooner?"
Muturi has been one of the most vocal critics of the Kenya Kwanza regime, with criticism mainly stemming from forced disappearances, which he started decrying before his dismissal from Ruto's cabinet.
In April, the former CS publicly accused the president of being untruthful after Ruto did an interview detailing reasons why Muturi lost his cabinet position. According to the sacked CS, his dismissal was politically motivated and directly linked to his stance on disappearances.
“There is no doubt that I was sacked because of my firm stand on forced disappearances,” Muturi stated during a media briefing.
Adding, “If their goal was to silence me, then they’ve dialled the wrong number.”
Muturi also claimed he attempted to make the issue of forced disappearance an agenda item for a cabinet meeting in November 2024, but he was snubbed.
The former CS's position on disappearances gained traction after an incident involving his son Leslie Muturi in 2024, with the CS revealing the issue was only resolved after he made a direct appeal to the President, prompting swift intervention by the National Intelligence Service (NIS).
In terms of preventing a future spate of forced disappearances, the President said on Monday that there was an 'accountability mechanism' to ensure such issues are addressed. Ruto, however, did not reveal who was behind the disappearances.
