Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has revealed serious allegations regarding the supposed abduction of his son, Leslie Muturi, by officers from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) under orders from President William Ruto.
In a police statement recorded on Tuesday, the CS detailed how Leslie was taken on June 22, 2024, by armed men wearing masks along Dennis Pritt Road.
At that time, Leslie was with Embakasi West MP Mark Mwenje and Marangu Imanyara at Alfajiri Lounge before they decided to attend a birthday party in Lavington.
While en route to the celebration, Leslie was reportedly kidnapped by armed individuals who forced him into a Prado SUV and drove away.
CS Muturi recalled his conversation with then Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome and Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo, who assured him they would look into the situation.
His attempts to reach the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin and NIS Director General Noordin Haji were unsuccessful as they did not answer.
The CS called the IG again, who promised to alert all personnel on the various routes, suspecting it might be a robbery, while Muturi maintained it was a police operation.
Muturi noted that officers from Kilimani contacted Citizen TV to obtain CCTV footage of Leslie and his group leaving Alfajiri Lounge.
Given the seriousness of the matter, Muturi stated he sent President William Ruto a WhatsApp message regarding his son’s disappearance, but the message went unread.
He found a silver lining when an NIS officer reached out to him, stating that his son was being held by their people. Efforts to contact Haji again were met with silence as he did not respond to calls or texts.
“Just before 1:00 pm, I opted to call Prof. Kindiki, the then Interior CS. After explaining the entire situation, he expressed surprise and assured me he would get in touch with Noordin Haji,” the CS recounted in his statement.
“Fifteen minutes later, Prof. Kindiki called back, informing me he had spoken to the DG of NIS, who denied holding Leslie. Despite my insistence based on the information I had received from an NIS officer, Prof. Kindiki persisted that the DG could not be untruthful.”
The CS shared that he then decided to go to the State House to urge the President to intervene. He recounted the incident to Ruto and shared his belief that NIS had his son in custody.
“The President made a joke, questioning why anyone would want to detain a young person over the Gen Z demonstrations. He also mentioned that (MP Mwangi) Kiunjuri’s son and the sons of other officials had participated in similar protests,” he added.
“Standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Noordin Haji if he was holding my son, Noordin confirmed, that indeed he was holding my son and the President instructed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin responded that Leslie would be released within an hour.”
~JB Muturi~
Ruto, acknowledging that his phone had been overwhelmed with messages, called Haji at Muturi’s request.
“While standing outside the pavilion, I heard the President ask Haji whether he was holding my son. Noordin confirmed that they indeed had my son, and the President directed him to release Leslie immediately. Noordin replied that Leslie would be freed within an hour,” the CS continued.
Muturi confirmed that his son was later released and returned home.
