By Daniel Otieno, Kakamega
President William Ruto has sacked Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi and replaced him with Mbeere North Mp Geoffrey Ruku.
President Ruto has also nominated Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, the widow of the late Baringo Senator William Chip Tumo, has been nominated the Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, The Arts and Heritage.
“Muturi had vowed not to remain silent until the issue of abductions in Kenya was addressed and justice was served”~ Muturi
Muturi’s removal has been the subject of considerable speculation in recent weeks, particularly after his vocal criticism of the administration following the abduction of his son in January.
Muturi had vowed not to remain silent until the issue of abductions in Kenya was addressed and justice was served. This bold stance led to a public fallout between him and President Ruto.
The president, who had refrained from engaging with Muturi directly, made his position clear during an Iftar dinner at the State House in Nairobi.
He stated that Muturi had failed in handling the establishment of the Muslims Endowment Fund (Waqf). The president attributed the failure to the previous Attorney General’s incompetence, but assured the public that with the appointment of a new and capable individual in the role, the Waqf issue would be resolved within months.
Muturi responded with a scathing critique of the president’s remarks on X, pointing out that Waqf, as outlined in Waqf No. 8 of 2022, did not include provisions for Muslim Endowment Funds, and emphasized that Waqf must be managed by the Waqf Commission, as per Islamic tradition.
In addition to the changes, President Ruto has reassigned several other senior officials. Aden Bare Duale has been moved to the Ministry of Health, while Deborah Mulongo Barasa has been appointed to the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, and Forestry.
