CS Muturi fires back at Ruto over incompetence remarks

During an Iftar dinner at State House on Tuesday, Ruto castigated the former AG for delaying the rollout of the Muslim Endowment Fund (Waqf) that had been proposed by Muslim leaders.

Waqf is an Islamic concept of an endowment whereby property is dedicated for a religious, charitable purpose and overseen by a Commission. 

“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 stated. 

In response, CS Muturi explained that the Waqf Act No.8 of 2022 did not include a 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 Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission," Muturi said on his X page. 

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 Muslim faith and is managed by the Waqf Commission.

Ruto's public rebuke of Muturi's tenure as AG is the strongest indication of their deepening divide amid the CS's recent accusations of the Kenya Kwanza administration's complacency in dealing with abductions. 

The Waqf Act came into force on March 31, 2022, and has yet to be operationalised. 

On July 12, 2023, Muturi appointed a five-member selection panel to appoint the commissioners. This was made official via a gazette notice. 

Muturi also wrote to the National Treasury and the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), seeking a budget and allowances payable to the panel. 

On April 18, 2024, the selection panel held its inaugural meeting before being officially sworn into office a month later. 

On June 11, 2024, Muturi ran an advertisement in the local dailies, calling for suitable candidates for Waqf Commissioners to apply. 

During the shortlisting process, President Ruto dissolved the cabinet owing to the public uproar following the Gen-Z demonstrations that opposed the Finance Bill 2024. 

On August 21, 2024, Dorcas Oduor took over as the new AG with the process still in limbo. 

To mitigate the situation, the Chairperson of the Waqf Selection Panel, Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome held a meeting with AG Oduor on October 17, 2024, to discuss the progress of selecting the commissioners.