Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi now says he was advised by friends to remain in the Cabinet even after he made claims about the alleged abduction of his son.
The former CS explained that he consulted several friends on whether to resign from the government following the incident.
Many of his friends, Muturi said, believed that he would be able to gather more information about his son's disappearance only if he remained in government.
“I went through a lot of soul-searching and, at some point, asked myself, ‘Is it worth it?’ I consulted several close friends, and many advised, ‘Please stay put,’” Muturi said during an interview on NTV.
“Maybe there is a lot more you could gather about what your administration is doing and, at the appropriate time, let the world know.”
Since the alleged abduction, Muturi has remained a vocal critic of the Kenya Kwanza government.
The former CS has demanded answers from the government, claiming that a security agency squad was responsible for the abductions.
In a statement to the police, Muturi provided a detailed account of how his son was kidnapped on June 22, 2024, by what he termed as armed, hooded gangsters along Dennis Pritt Road.
At the time, Leslie was allegedly in the company of two people before deciding to go to a birthday party in Lavington.
On their way to the party, Leslie was reportedly kidnapped by armed men who forced him into a Prado and drove off.
Given the gravity of the situation, Muturi revealed that he sent a WhatsApp message to President William Ruto informing him of his son's abduction, but the message was not read.
The former CS then visited the State House in person to prompt the President to act. He narrated the ordeal to Ruto and expressed his belief that the National Intelligence Service (NIS) was holding his son.
"The President joked, asking why anyone would want to arrest a young person over the Gen Z demonstrations. He even mentioned that MP Mwangi Kiunjuri's son and the sons of other officials had been involved in similar demonstrations," Muturi stated.
According to Muturi, Ruto, who acknowledged that his phone had been overwhelmed with messages, then called NIS Director Noordin Haji after Muturi's request.
"Standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Haji if he was holding my son. Noordin confirmed that he was, and the President instructed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin responded that Leslie would be released within an hour," Muturi stated.
