Ex-CS Muturi protests, says his security has been withdrawn

Former Public Service CS Justin Muturi/FILE

Two armed police officers who were attached to former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi were withdrawn in unexplained circumstances.

Muturi said the officers were ordered not to report to work on Tuesday, April 8. He now remains without armed security. Muturi is a former Speaker of the National Assembly.

He was, on March 26, sacked as CS for public service in a fallout with President William Ruto. He said no explanation had been given to him over the move to withdraw the security.

“My security detail was withdrawn last night (Monday) at around 7:30PM. Two police officers who were attached to me by virtue of my position as former Speaker of the National Assembly were told not to report on duty today. If this is another attempt to intimidate me, they have dialed yet another wrong number,” he said.

He said the Retirement Benefits Act allows former Speakers to have security.

“They were told not to come to work on the basis that I am fighting the government. I said it’s okay there are many Kenyans without government security. But I am entitled to security,” he said.

Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen said he is yet to receive a formal written complaint from Muturi on his security detail status.

He refuted claims that the alleged withdrawal of security could be political.

According to Murkomen, the matter should be addressed by the Inspector General of Police, Douglas Kanja, if it was done procedurally.

He also explained that the scale-down of officers is a matter of routine in the security sector, especially in regard to officers guarding former public officeholders.

“That is a simple and small matter that should be handled by the IG. If it’s escalated to me, I will address it as per the law,” said the CS when responding to inquiries on the matter.

“We scale down security assigned to officers once they vacate office. It’s normal and it applies to all, even me. Even me if I leave office, the apply. “

He said officers act as per the law and are not influenced by political situations.

“Security officers operate within the law and are not influenced by politics,” said the CS.

Ruto nominated Mbeere Member of Parliament Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service to replace Muturi.

Muturi was immediately asked to surrender government equipment. For months, Muturi had emerged as a thorn in the flesh of the Kenya Kwanza administration, revolving around fiery remarks he made against the State over abductions and killings of Gen Z protesters in June and December 2024, where his son was also a victim.

He had even stated that he requested to be excused from Cabinet meetings until the issues of police abductions and extrajudicial killings were on the agenda.

Recently, Muturi bravely said the move to call out his former boss falls within his sworn mandate as a public servant, and he should instead be applauded for the same.

Ruto, who had remained tight-lipped over the matter for weeks, broke his silence and branded his Public Service CS as “fairly incompetent.”

Muturi took to social media to reply to the President.