Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has launched a scathing attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of corruption and declaring him unfit to occupy the highest office in the country.
Once a close political ally of the president, Muturi now says their relationship soured over what he terms a betrayal of their shared pledge to uphold integrity in public service—a principle he says brought them together during the formation of the Kenya Kwanza administration in 2022.
“I have sadly come to the conclusion that William Ruto is unfit to be President of the Republic of Kenya. He is irredeemably corrupt,” Muturi told journalists during a press briefing at Ufungamano House.
He cited the controversial, now-abandoned plan to renovate Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), claiming the project was being pushed by the president through intermediaries for personal financial gain.
Muturi alleges he first learned of the deal through one of Ruto’s advisors while attending the COP28 summit in Dubai in 2023.
He also pointed to another deal involving unnamed Russian investors, who had reportedly pledged KSh1 billion to support Kenya’s national tree-planting programme under the Ministry of Environment. According to Muturi, the implementation plan for the initiative was irregular and raised red flags.
He further claimed that prominent businessman Narendra Raval, a known associate of Ruto, pressured him to sign off on the deal while offering to fly him aboard a private jet from India to Dubai.
“Guru, who is one of the Guptas, told me he had chartered an executive jet. Upon arrival in Dubai, Ruto called and told me the Russians were waiting for my signature,” Muturi said.
“I told him I was in transit and couldn’t leave the airport. He insisted my staff had already prepared the documents, but I maintained that I needed to review them back at the office.”
Muturi also accused the president of using various government programmes to advance personal financial interests, allegedly bypassing due process and oversight mechanisms.
In response, President Ruto dismissed the allegations, attributing Muturi’s remarks to frustration over his own performance in government. Speaking during an Iftar dinner at State House Nairobi on March 25, Ruto said:
“I had a problem with the AG who was there; he was fairly incompetent, but we now have a competent lady.”
He also accused Muturi of delaying the establishment of the Muslim Endowment Fund, an initiative supported by Muslim leaders.
Muturi, however, denied harbouring a personal grudge, asserting that his criticism is based on matters of governance and public interest—not his dismissal from the Cabinet.
