Justin Muturi sheds light on jet clearance saga that contributed to fallout with Ruto
Former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi has lifted the lid on a little-known confrontation with President William Ruto that unfolded during an international trip.
Speaking during an interview with a local TV station on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, Muturi shed light on the drama, saying it pertained to the clearance of an executive jet involving individuals he claims were linked to a billion-dollar Russian deal.
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“Ruto was calling me while I was at the airport leaving India heading to Dubai. He had been picked up by some other Indians, his friends, just people he knows,” he said.
Muturi, who was then accompanying Ruto on an official trip to India, recalled receiving a stern call from the president while at an airport in New Delhi, as they were preparing to fly to Dubai.
He said the tension arose after he refused to approve documents tied to the clearance of the executive jet that had been arranged for Ruto by individuals he described as his Indian friends.
According to Muturi, the delegation had been informed during breakfast that the official presidential jet lacked the power to fly directly from New Delhi to Nairobi, and would need to stop over in Dubai for refuelling.
In response, some associates arranged a separate, more powerful executive jet to fly Ruto from Delhi directly to Nairobi.
“They told me over breakfast that the presidential jet did not have enough power and could not fly directly from New Delhi to Nairobi. It had to stop over in Dubai to refuel or rest. So they said they had organised an executive jet that would fly them straight from Delhi to Nairobi,” he said.
Muturi said that he, however, declined to board the same flight, opting instead to return on a previously booked commercial airline.
He said that while he was at the airport, preparing to board his commercial flight, Ruto called him and asked him to urgently sign clearance documents related to the executive jet and other matters involving the foreign individuals who had offered it.
“ I told them I had already booked a commercial flight that had been paid for, so I declined their offer. Then while I was at the airport, he started calling me, telling me to sign some documents that were with some people,” Muturi recalled.
Upon investigation, Muturi said he discovered the individuals were Russians, whom he referred to as Russian oligarchs, who had expressed interest in bringing one billion US dollars into Kenya through the Ministry of Environment.
“Later, when I checked who those people were, I found out they were Russians, what they call Russian oligarchs. They were claiming to be bringing in one billion US dollars to channel through the Ministry of Environment. So he told me there were some documents involving those people and that I should sign. I told him I was in transit and could not leave the airport and that I could not sign anything,” he claimed.
Muturi said the president insisted the documents be signed immediately, but he resisted due to the nature of the request and his physical location.
Muturi added that his refusal to approve the documents may have contributed to the strain in his relationship with the president, hinting that the fallout may have begun from that moment.
He maintained that at no point in his public service career did he ever authorise paperwork that lacked clarity or appeared questionable, regardless of who made the request.
“I have never signed a document I did not understand, or one that was unclear, or one that I had not read.”
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Steve Ireri
Steve is a senior writer with over four years of experience in digital journalism. His focus is on the showbiz and human interest stories. Emails: [email protected] , [email protected]
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