CS Muturi fires back at Ruto over Waqf Act operationalization

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi. (Photo: X/Justin Muturi)

By Maureen Kinyanjui
Wednesday, March 26, 2025

The former Attorney General noted that he had taken further steps, including running an advertisement inviting suitable candidates to apply for positions as Waqf commissioners.

Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has responded to President William Ruto’s comments on the operationalization of the Waqf Act, 2022, insisting that he was the one who made the Act functional during his time as Attorney General.

Muturi's remarks come after the President expressed concerns that certain aspects of the Act were still not in operation.

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"The Waqf Act came into force on 31st March 2022, but it was during my short tenure that I operationalised it," Muturi said on Wednesday, clarifying his role in bringing the law into effect.

The CS explained the sequence of events that followed the enactment of the Act, beginning with his appointment of the Waqf Commission Selection Panel on July 12, 2023.

He also stated that he had written to the National Treasury and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) to request a budget for the panel and its allowances.

According to Muturi, under his leadership, the Waqf Commission Selection Panel held its inception meeting on April 18, 2024, and was officially sworn in on May 14, 2024.

The former Attorney General noted that he had taken further steps, including running an advertisement inviting suitable candidates to apply for positions as Waqf commissioners.

President Ruto says former AG Justin Muturi was fairly incompetent, promises swift action on Muslim Endowment Fund with the new AG

Ruto: I had a problem with the AG who was there (Justin Muturi), he was fairly incompetent, but I now have a very competent lady and I can assure… pic.twitter.com/GgYVkh4IPE
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) March 26, 2025

However, Muturi said this process was interrupted after President Ruto dissolved the Cabinet on July 11, 2024, while the shortlisting was still underway.

"President dissolves Cabinet on 11th July 2024 whilst the shortlisting was ongoing," Muturi recalled. Despite efforts by the Chairperson of the Waqf Selection Panel, Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome, to continue the process, Muturi claimed that the matter has stalled ever since.

President Ruto, speaking at an Iftar dinner at State House, Nairobi on Tuesday, reassured the Muslim community that the issues surrounding the Waqf Act would soon be resolved under the current Attorney General, Dorcas Oduor.

"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," he said.

In response to the President’s remarks, Muturi firmly disagreed with the notion that the Waqf Act had provisions for the creation of a Muslim Endowment Fund.

He clarified that such a fund was not part of the Act but instead a personal initiative of any individual who follows the Muslim faith.

"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," Muturi said.