Kenya President fires 'firebrand' minister

NAIROBI, Kenya

President of Kenya, William Ruto has nominated Mbeere North Member of Parliament Geoffrey Kiringa Ruku as Cabinet Secretary for Public Service to replace Justin Muturi.

A side-by-side image of President William Ruto and Cabinet Secretary for Public Service Justin Muturi.

The announcement was made in a statement issued by Chief of Staff Felix Koskei on Wednesday, communicating further changes by the President to the Cabinet.

For months now, Muturi has emerged as a thorn in President Ruto's flesh with his bone of contention with his boss 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 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 on Tuesday and branded his Public Service CS as “fairly incompetent”.

Speaking during an Iftar dinner at State House, Nairobi, Ruto said CS Muturi's inept handling in establishing the Muslim Endowment Fund (Waqf) as Attorney General denied the commission an opportunity to manage Islamic endowments.

“I had a problem with the AG who was there before—he was fairly incompetent. But now, I have a very competent lady in the position, and I can assure you that the issues of Wakf will be sorted out within months,” Ruto stated.

In an apparent show of defiance, Muturi took to social media to reply to the President, stating: 
"It must be understood that a Waqf is a religious, charitable or benevolent endowment by a person who professes Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission," Muturi said on his X page.