Outspoken lawyer and political activist Dr. Miguna Miguna has accused President William Ruto of reneging on a personal promise to resolve his long-standing legal troubles through then-Attorney-General Justin Muturi. The fiery lawyer, who returned to Kenya in 2022 after years of exile, claims the president failed to honor a commitment he made during their initial meeting upon Miguna’s return.
“Mr. Ruto had said to me when I returned to Kenya that he would instruct the former Attorney-General Justin Muturi to resolve those matters. Like any other lie he has told to many other Kenyans, he did not comply with that undertaking,” Miguna said.
The Canada-based barrister was deported twice in 2018 under the Jubilee administration, following his role in the symbolic swearing-in of Raila Odinga as the “People’s President” after the disputed 2017 elections. Despite multiple court orders declaring his deportation illegal and demanding his return, the government at the time defied judicial rulings—something Miguna says continues to this day under Ruto’s leadership.
Miguna used the moment to rally Kenyans against what he termed “tainted leadership,” calling out former Interior Cabinet Secretary Dr. Fred Matiang’i by name.
“We cannot tolerate and entertain characters like Matiang’i who have not been punished, even though there were several court orders that found not just that he subverted the Constitution but that he was unfit to hold public office,” Miguna said.
Dr. Matiang’i, who served as a powerful minister in Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration, has in the past dismissed these accusations, asserting that his actions were part of his lawful mandate to safeguard national security.
“I always subject myself to the law. Even when I was a minister, I was not above the law,” Matiang’i told Citizen TV earlier this month. “If you believe I’ve done something wrong, go to the DCI or any investigative agency and give them the information.”
Miguna’s fresh salvo has reignited debate over the unresolved injustices tied to his deportation and the broader question of whether the Ruto administration is truly committed to rule of law and accountability.
“Reform cannot be led by those who actively destroyed it,” Miguna concluded, adding that Kenya’s path to justice must begin with holding past violators accountable, regardless of political alignments.
