Former AG Justin Muturi has revisited his interactions with President William Ruto, convincing him to take up the Attorney General role after Kenya Kwanza came to power in 2022.

Speaking on Saturday, September 6, 2025, Muturi candidly revealed that his principal reluctance was that he feared being put in an awkward situation where Ruto would not heed his advice as the legal adviser to the president and the government.

“When Ruto became president and was about to name his cabinet, he wanted me to be his AG. I told him NO. that I was not interested. and the matter ended there,” he stated.

“As AG, I would hate situations where my advice would not be taken. I may give him advice that he may not like,” he recalled of their interaction.

He, however, stated that the president replied that his honesty was precisely the reason he considered him for the role, stressing it implied the rare virtue of a steadfast and uncompromised person.

Meeting with Wetang’ula

Muturi also revealed that part of Ruto’s continued efforts to get him to accept the role included engaging his legal colleague and campus roommate, Moses Wetang’ula, to prevail over him.

“I once got a message from Wetang’ula, and he told me he had a message for me. It turned out it was about the issue of declining the AG role. We sat with him, and I decided to tell him the truth. I was sincere and told him why I was not interested. I cannot advise in a manner that is inconsistent with our constitution,” he stated.

Muturi’s criticism of govt

The former Public Service CS made headlines for his explosive demands to the government he was serving, with his public criticism of the government on the abductions of his son and the forced disappearances of persons in 2024.

The run-ins heralded the beginning of the end of his time in the cabinet as he exited and subsequently joined the opposition, where he became a fierce critic of the government.

In his recent onslaught on Ruto’s regime, Muturi roasted the president over his tough stance on fighting graft in his government, stating that assertions that members of parliament (MPs) would be arrested over corruption allegations were mere talk.

“Let us be clear: nothing will come of these threats. No MP will be arrested. No case will be prosecuted. No precedent will be set. Because the rot is not in Parliament alone; it is in State House itself,” Muturi said.