Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has opened up about a bitter exchange with President William Ruto, claiming the Head of State insulted him via WhatsApp following a chaotic moment during a funeral ceremony earlier this year.
Speaking in a televised interview on Tuesday, August 5, Muturi said he attempted to reach out to the President on January 6, 2025, making three unanswered calls. Instead of a callback, Muturi says Ruto sent him a WhatsApp message whose tone he described as insulting — marking a significant low point in their already deteriorating relationship.
“I haven’t spoken to President Ruto this entire year. I tried to reach him, but after three calls went unanswered, he sent me a message I considered insulting,” Muturi said, adding that he had to restrain himself from responding in kind.
The former CS, who has since been dismissed from Cabinet, said the fallout reached its climax during the burial of the son of the late Embu Senator Lenny Kivuti. Muturi had been asked to read the President’s condolence message at the ceremony, but the crowd reacted angrily as soon as he mentioned Ruto’s name.
“When I said I had a message from the President, the crowd became rowdy. Religious leaders present, including Archbishop Jackson Ole Sapit and a bishop from Mbeere, advised me to hand over the message privately,” Muturi recalled.
Later that night, Muturi said, the President’s WhatsApp message finally came through — but instead of concern, it carried accusations.
“The President said I should have declined to deliver his message in the first place. He accused me of being part of a scheme to embarrass him,” he said.
Muturi, who once served as National Assembly Speaker and was a prominent figure in Ruto’s 2022 campaign team, has since become one of the administration’s most outspoken critics. His dismissal from the Cabinet marked the end of what insiders describe as an irreparable political fallout.
He has publicly questioned key government appointments — notably criticising the decision to move Kipchumba Murkomen to the powerful Interior docket, previously held by Prof. Kithure Kindiki — and accused the President of turning his back on loyal allies.
With relations now fully severed, Muturi’s remarks add to the growing list of former allies speaking out against President Ruto’s leadership style, signalling deeper political undercurrents within Kenya Kwanza’s fractured inner circle.
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