Justin Muturi didn’t plan to be Attorney General. In fact, when President William Ruto first offered him the post in 2022, he turned it down.

“I told him that’s not the job I wanted when we agreed to form the government,” Muturi said during a recent interview with K24. “I started noticing things were not as I had expected, particularly regarding my role.”

The former Speaker of the National Assembly—known for his adherence to the rule of law—shared how he hesitated to take on the powerful but politically sensitive role of principal legal adviser to the President. His main concern? Independence.

“I’m a stickler for the law,” he said, recalling his reluctance to accept a role he feared might compromise his legal integrity. “I wasn’t sure I’d be allowed to carry out the job independently.”

Muturi said it was National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, an old friend from their university days, who helped tip the scale. Wetang’ula approached him privately to persuade him to reconsider.

But it was Ruto’s persistence that ultimately proved decisive. The President brought up the role again just before announcing his first Cabinet.

“At a meeting in State House, he told me, ‘JB, I still want you to be my AG,’” Muturi recalled. “But I told him I would prefer to serve in a ministry. I value legal independence and would rather stand by my professional principles than offer advice simply to please the administration.”

Ruto, Muturi said, responded by saying that very attitude was what made him the right man for the job. When Muturi raised concerns about potentially being drawn into procurement matters, the President replied, “That is exactly why I want you.”

It was only after Ruto gave his personal assurance of non-interference that Muturi agreed.

“I told him, ‘If you promise that I’ll work without interference, then I’ll take it.’ He gave me his word.”

Muturi served as Attorney General until 11 July 2024, when Ruto dissolved his Cabinet amid intense nationwide protests. In the reshuffle that followed, Muturi was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Public Service.

His latest remarks offer a rare glimpse into the private negotiations and political calculations behind Kenya’s power structure. Whether his time at the State Law Office met his expectations of independence remains unclear—but the story behind his reluctant appointment reveals the delicate balancing act between legal principle and political loyalty.