Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has demanded action against former Public Service Cabinet secretary Justin Muturi, accusing him of breaching government confidentiality protocols. CS Kipchumba Murkomen wants action taken against Justin Muturi. Murkomen’s remarks come after Muturi claimed he retained sensitive state documents in soft copy, a move the Interior CS said could warrant arrest in other jurisdictions. Speaking to journalists in Mombasa on Tuesday, April 8, Murkomen urged investigative agencies including the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP) to probe Muturi over his handling of classified information.
According to Murkomen, Muturi’s decision to keep the documents—allegedly in his personal email—is not only irregular but also potentially criminal. “He says he has kept government documents in an email. In another country, he could have been arrested. The principle of handling state documents doesn’t allow that,” Murkomen stated. Murkomen likened Muturi’s actions to the 2015 case involving former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who was heavily scrutinised for using personal email to handle classified information, arguing that similar standards should apply when it comes to national security. “The documents in question are not personal; they are government property. To hear someone say they were copying documents from the start is disturbing,” Murkomen remarked. He further criticised Muturi’s claim that he had retained the documents as evidence of coercion by President William Ruto to participate in corrupt dealings.
Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen said former CS Justin Muturi risks being arrested. Murkomen dismissed the allegations, challenging Muturi to present any such evidence to the appropriate investigative bodies instead of making public accusations. “I don’t believe anything he’s said reaches the threshold of corruption. But if he truly has evidence, why wait to be summoned? He recently walked into the DCI’s office and could do so again with that information,” said Murkomen. Murkomen explains why Muturi’s security was removed In addressing Muturi’s security concerns, Murkomen clarified that the withdrawal of his bodyguards was likely a routine scale-down following his exit from the Cabinet. He added that he would consult Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja for a formal explanation, maintaining that security issues are non-political and lie within the IG’s mandate. “It could be a scale-down since he’s no longer a CS.
We don’t politicise security matters. Unless it’s escalated, it’s not my call to make,” Murkomen noted. Earlier that same day, Muturi had raised alarm over what he called an “intimidation tactic” by the government after discovering that his security detail had been removed without explanation. READ ALSO Justin Muturi says Ruto is unfit to be president, claims he’s corrupt: “Dangerous character” He alleged the decision was a direct response to his outspoken stance against the Ruto administration. Murkomen is on a week-long security tour of the country’s coastal region.
by Harry Ivan Mboto
