Former Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi has said former Head of Public Service is still hurting over tribulations he faced at the ICC following the 2007/2008 post-election violence.
A close friend of Muthaura, Kiraitu said the former Head of Public Service paid a "heavy personal price for his greatness".
"Despite all his efforts to stop the post-election violence, he found himself at the ICC," Kiraitu stated.
Kiraitu made the remarks on Thursday during the launch of a book, A Moving Horizon, authored by Muthaura.
Both Kiraitu and Muthaura served in the late President Mwai Kibaki's administration.
The former Meru governor added that Muthaura's trauma at the ICC raises fundamental questions about public service.
"Though he was acquitted and we celebrated, the memories have left scars in Muthaura's life that cannot be erased," he stated.
He added that Muthaura was a firefighter but ended up as a suspect at the ICC.
"In his book, ICC has more pages. This shows you how much the matter inflicted pain and suffering on him," he said.
Present at the event were Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, former Cabinet Secretaries Margaret Kobia, Jacob Kaimenyi, Amina Mohamed, ex-PS Michael Kamau, East African Educational Publishers CEO Kiarie Kamau, retired Justice Aaron Ringera, Kenya School of Government Director General Ludeki Chweya and Public Service PS Amos Gathecha.
Others were former governors Kiraitu Murungi (Meru), Francis Kimemia (Nyandarua) and Ndiritu Muriithi (Laikipia).
Kiraitu described Muthaura as a wise, selfless and hardworking leader.
"Muthaura worked with Kibaki and Raila well. He sat with the two at Sagana, without advisors, and they came up with a list of 40 Cabinet members that stabilised the country after post-election violence," he added.
The 2007–2008 Kenyan crisis was a violent political, economic, and humanitarian crisis that erupted in Kenya after Kibaki was declared the winner of the presidential election held on December 27, 2007.
Over 1,200 people died and up to 600,000 were displaced.
The largest single loss of life was when a church providing shelter from the violence to 200 people was set on fire by rioters, killing 35 people.