Attorney General Justin Muturi on Thursday, July 11 expressed his intention to sue Standard Group Limited over a newspaper headline carried through The Standard newspaper claiming that President William Ruto does not seek his advice on key government decisions.
The local daily had carried the headline: ‘Misadvised? Blame it on Ruto, AG Muturi says’, claiming that the President did not consult him despite being his chief legal advisor, hence the government being subjected to ridicule in the legal environment.
“In a bold step, Attorney General Justin Muturi has come out to say the President does not consult him on a number of key decisions, in spite of being the chief legal advisor, on various issues and that is why the government has been a butt of jokes in corridors of justice,” read the front page of the paper.
Standard Media Group offices along Mombasa Road. /STANDARD DIGITAL
Attributing quotes from the Attorney General, The Standard Newspaper, stated that Muturi had complained about not being consulted about the deployment of Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) to deal with the anti-government protests.
Muturi was further quoted as stating that he had not advised the government on police conduct during the protests as well as President Ruto’s decision to order a public debt audit.
However, in a statement, Muturi indicated that the media house had falsely attributed the remarks to him.
Furthermore, he believed that the contents of the article were meant to tarnish his reputation as a former speaker of the National Assembly and lawmaker.
“I am deeply concerned by an article published by The Standard Newspaper on 11th July 2024 that quotes statements falsely attributed to me.
“As a former lawmaker and former speaker of the National Assembly, I uphold the highest standards of integrity and transparency. The misquotations in the article are misleading to the Kenyan public and undermine these principles,” the AG remarked.
AG Muturi remarked that he was actively pursuing legal channels to have The Standard retract these statements and correct the public record.
He also reminded the Kenyan media of the importance of upholding accuracy and taking responsibility for any day-to-day reporting that they do.
“I am actively pursuing legal channels to have The Standard retract these statements and correct the public record. It is imperative that the media maintain accuracy and responsibility in their reporting to ensure that the truth is upheld,” he added.
His remarks came after President Ruto recently made a number of key government decisions, including banning state officers from holding fundraisers, reducing the number of government advisers by 50 per cent, dissolving 47 state corporations and appointing a task force to audit the public debt.
On Wednesday, Cabinet Secretaries were directed to select at least one advisor to be retained following the reduction of the number of advisors assigned to each Cabinet Secretary from two to one.
President William Ruto and his Cabinet posing for a photo after a meeting on July 4, 2024. /PCS