File image of Justin Muturi at Kilimani Police Station
Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Muturi now says his son Leslie Muturi was abducted by officers from the National Intelligence Service (NIS) on June 22, 2024.
In a statement to the police on Tuesday, January 14, CS Muturi said that his son was abducted by armed, hooded gangsters in Denis Pritt Road, Nairobi.
Leslie had been with MP Mark Mwenje and Marangu Imanyara at Alfajiri having drinks, and they decided to go to a birthday party in Lavington.
It was during this process that Leslie was waylaid, kidnapped, and forced into a vehicle that drove off.
CS Muturi noted that he called the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Japhet Koome, and explained the situation, He also reached out to Interior PS Raymond Omollo who assured him he would take action.
His efforts to contact Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI) Mohammed Amin and NIS Director General Noordin Haji were in vain as his calls went unanswered.
CS Muturi was then informed by a friend working in NIS that his son was being held by the intelligence unit.
“Between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m., a friend from NIS called, informing me that my son was being held by their people. I shared this information with my friends, and it was agreed that I should call Noordin Haji again. Despite multiple attempts, he did not answer,” the Public CS recalled.
Growing increasingly concerned, Muturi contacted then Interior CS Kithure Kindiki, who called back to tell him that the NIS was not holding his son.
“Just before 1:00 pm, I decided to call Prof. Kindiki, then Interior CS. After explaining the entire situation, he expressed shock and assured me he would contact Noordin Haji,” the CS noted in the statement.
He added, “15 minutes later, Prof. Kindiki called back saying he had spoken with the DG of NIS, who denied holding Leslie. Despite my insistence that I had confirmed information from an NIS officer, Prof. Kindiki maintained that the DG could not be lying.”
Muturi then decided to text President William Ruto over the issue but his phone was offline. He decided to drive to State House after he was the Head of State’s chopper moving towards the facility.
The CS then narrated the ordeal to the President and Ruto expressed disbelief that Leslie was being held by the NIS. Muturi requested President Ruto to ask Haji if his unit was the one holding his son.
“The President joked, asking why anyone would want to arrest a young person over the Gen Z demonstrations. He even mentioned that Kiunjuri’s son and the sons of other officials had been involved in similar demonstrations. He then called Noordin Haji directly,” Muturi recounted.
“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.”
The Public Service CS further said that his son was released an hour later and they reunited at their home.
Also Read: DCI Issues Update After CS Muturi’s Statement On Son’s Abduction
