Suna East MP Junet Mohamed has criticised former National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi over his conduct during the recent Mbeere North by-election, saying leaders who have held high office should carry themselves with dignity after retirement.

Speaking in Parliament, Junet told the House that he was shocked to see Muturi in a physical confrontation at a polling station.

He said former holders of top state offices, including the presidency, chief justiceship and speakership, should maintain humility and restraint even when provoked.

“Mr Speaker, when you retire from a high office like the office of the speaker, you should be able to carry yourself with humility and dignity because you are a senior member of this society called Kenya,” Junet said.

“Mr. Speaker, I was very shocked and sorry to see my former boss here and the former speaker fighting a young man.”

He added that disputes at polling stations should be left to aides and security officers to handle, not former state officers themselves.

This came after an incident at the Siakago Polling Centre on election day, where Muturi, the Democratic Party leader and former Speaker, confronted a voter, minutes after he ejected Chinga Ward MCA Kiruga Thuku from a polling station.

Muturi confronts voter

The MCA, who had travelled from Nyeri, entered the polling station in bright yellow UDA-branded clothing. Election rules bar party colours or campaign material inside polling centres to prevent influencing voters.

Photos shared online showed Muturi chasing a young man and handling him a bit. Muturi also said the rules must apply to everyone and insisted that polling stations are not platforms for campaigning.

“Election Day is not a campaign stage, and polling stations are not theatres for party branding,” he said. “So I made it very clear – not here, not today.”

Junet said the spectacle of Muturi chasing a young man painted the former Speaker in poor light. He argued that Muturi should have acted with restraint and allowed officials to enforce the rules.

“Those are things you leave for your PA and other small people to deal with,” he said.