President William Ruto has described Public Service CS Justin Muturi as incompetent while serving as the country’s Attorney General, laying bare the growing rift between the two leaders who no longer see eye to eye.
Speaking on Tuesday at State House, where he hosted Muslims for an Iftar dinner, Ruto said Muturi had been “fairly incompetent” in handling legal matters concerning the establishment of Waqf, a commission to manage Islamic endowments.
The president assured the Muslim community that under the current Attorney General, these long-standing issues would be resolved within months.
“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 Waqf will be sorted out within months,” the President said on Tuesday.
He was responding to concerns raised by Muslim leaders who had attended the state Iftar dinner over delays in operationalising the endowment fund despite the Waqf Act, 2022.
However, in a quick rejoinder, Muturi, currently the Public Affairs CS corrected the President, saying that while the Waqf Act 2022 exists, it does not provide for the creation of a Muslim Endowment Fund.
“Under the Waqf Act no.8 of 2022, there’s no provision for a “Muslim Endowment Fund. It must be understood that a Waqf is a religious, charitable or benevolent endowment by a person who professes the Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission,” the former AG said.
