NAIROBI, Kenya, Apr 8 — Former Cabinet Secretary and ex-Speaker of the National Assembly, Justin Muturi, says the State has withdrawn his security detail.

Muturi said Tuesday that the two police officers assigned to him in his capacity as former Speaker of the National Assembly were withdrawn without prior notice on Monday evening.

“My security detail was withdrawn last night at around 7:30pm,” he said in a statement.

“Two police officers who were attached to me by virtue of my position as former Speaker of the National Assembly were told not to report for duty today. If this is another attempt to intimidate me, they have dialed yet another wrong number.”

According to Muturi, the officers informed him that the decision was made because he is perceived to be “fighting the government.”

However, he said he remains unfazed.

“I said it’s okay. There are many Kenyans without government security, and therefore, it is not the kind of thing that should worry someone,” he remarked.

Muturi, who recently served as the Cabinet Secretary for Public Service before being replaced in a recent reshuffle, noted that the move disregards provisions under Kenyan law—specifically, the Retirement Benefits (Deputy President and Designated State Officers) Act—which guarantees certain privileges, including security, for former high-ranking officials.

“The Act covers Deputy Presidents, retired Speakers of the Houses of Parliament, the Chief Justice and Deputy Chief Justice, former Prime Ministers, and former Vice Presidents,” he noted.

The withdrawal comes in the wake of a scathing interview Muturi gave on April 3 during NTV’s Fixing the Nation segment, in which he made explosive claims against President Ruto, accusing him of overseeing corrupt dealings behind the scenes while publicly preaching integrity.

‘Irredeemably corrupt’

In a candid interview, Muturi—who served in Ruto’s Cabinet for nearly two years—claimed the President was “irredeemably corrupt” and portrayed a dual character: one for the public and another in private.

“He is quite a dangerous character. I think Ruto is unfit for the position of President. I have no bitterness; this is my honest assessment,” Muturi said. “When I watch him tell members of the Cabinet that he doesn’t want to see corruption in his government, I always wonder—because I know the kind of person he is.”

Muturi alleged that Ruto tried to pressure him into approving a Sh129 billion deal with Russian investors to fund a tree-planting initiative. According to him, the President called during COP28 in Dubai, urging him to sign documents authorizing the deal at the airport—an action Muturi refused, citing legal and procedural concerns.

“The Sh129 billion deal was presented as a grant to plant three billion trees. But I told them, such funds can only go through the Treasury, not directly to a ministry,” he said.

Money making schemes

He further claimed that the project, like others pushed by the President, was a money-making scheme disguised as development.

“Whenever Ruto comes up with a project, it’s about money,” he stated.

Muturi also linked Ruto to the controversial Arror and Kimwarer dam projects, for which the government secured a Sh63 billion loan from the Italian firm CMC di Ravenna. He said he declined to sign off on the projects due to discrepancies in cost and quality, and concerns about accountability.

“The Italians were paid billions. In Kimwarer, nothing has happened because the report was faulty. They wanted me to sign, and I declined,” Muturi said, adding that Ruto personally engaged with Italy’s leadership over the matter.

Muturi, who was dismissed from the Cabinet in recent reshuffles and replaced by Mbeere North MP Geoffrey Ruku, denied having a personal vendetta.

He maintained that his revelations are based on facts and expressed willingness to share supporting documents in soft copy.