JB Muturi pledges Justice and healing as opposition launches People Tribunal on Kenya past

Former Attorney General and Public Service Cabinet Secretary Justin Bedan Muturi has made a strong vow to lead the newly launched People’s Restorative Justice Commission (PRJC) with integrity and commitment to national healing.
Speaking shortly on Tuesday , 25 June 2025, after being sworn in as chairperson of the commission, Muturi hailed the initiative as a bold and necessary step in confronting Kenya’s dark past and fostering a future built on justice and reconciliation.
The PRJC was officially unveiled on Tuesday at Ufungamano House in Nairobi, in a ceremony led by prominent opposition leaders, including Wiper party boss Kalonzo Musyoka. Muturi was sworn in alongside fellow commissioners — Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo, political analyst and activist Fred Ogolla, and human rights advocate Asha Bashir — with the oath administered by Eunice Luminous, a Commissioner of the Supreme Court of Kenya and an Advocate of the High Court.
People’s process for healing
Describing the commission as a people-led platform rooted in constitutional values, Muturi emphasized the historical urgency of reckoning with Kenya’s unresolved injustices and collective trauma.
“My colleagues in opposition sat and agreed that there is too much trauma and too many atrocities and that we explore ways of addressing various issues that bedevil this country,” Muturi said.
He acknowledged that Kenya’s long history of political violence, ethnic tensions, human rights abuses, and unresolved injustices has left deep scars on society.
The PRJC, he said, offers a structured framework to facilitate a process of restorative truth-telling, justice, and eventual reconciliation.
“But I want to observe that all societies emerging from a history of oppression and human rights [violations] face a challenge of reconciling their past. This is not new and has happened in various parts of the world. A people-led commission seeking to restore justice among citizens,” he observed.
The initiative, led by opposition figures, has been presented as a non-partisan effort to place citizens at the centre of historical justice. While launched outside the official government framework, the commission is drawing legitimacy from Article 1 of the Constitution, which vests sovereign power in the people of Kenya.
Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyokla and DAP-K chief Eugene Wamalua and other attendees during the swearing of Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyokla and DAP-K chief Eugene Wamalua and other attendees during the swearing of People’s Restorative Justice Commission (PRJC) officials on Tuesday, 25 June 2025.PHOTO/@HonJBMuturi/X
Constitutional lawyer Council Ndegwa Njiru, who addressed the gathering, affirmed the legality of the commission’s formation, explaining that its mandate falls within the constitutional space afforded to the people to organize and seek justice.
“Council Ndegwa Njiru has given a constitutional anchor that PRJC is posited in,” Muturi added, reaffirming the commission’s legal and moral grounding.
Muturi framed the PRJC as a mature and visionary act of political leadership that moves beyond partisanship. He argued that real transformation requires honest confrontation with the past, rather than cosmetic reforms driven by electoral cycles.
“The creation of the commission by opposition leaders is a significant and mature gesture of political leadership, aimed at seeking redemptive solutions beyond electoral politics,” he said.
During the oath-taking ceremony, each commissioner pledged to uphold justice, protect truth, and serve with impartiality. Muturi, who took the oath first, committed to: Upholding the interests of all Kenyans above personal or political gain, ensuring every voice is heard, regardless of age or social status, and preserving truth and human dignity throughout the commission’s work.
Senator Dan Maanzo, who followed, swore on the Bible to remain impartial, serve with integrity, and act in the best interest of the nation. Political activist Fred Ogolla and Asha Bashir echoed similar commitments, underscoring the non-partisan, inclusive spirit of the PRJC.
Timely and symbolic launch
The launch of the PRJC comes at a politically sensitive moment, with the country grappling with rising social tensions, grievances over past injustices, and renewed demands for state accountability. Ufungamano House — itself a symbol of civil society activism since the pro-democracy struggles of the 1990s — provided a historic backdrop to the commission’s birth.
While it remains unclear how the PRJC’s recommendations will be integrated into formal legal and institutional mechanisms, supporters argue its strength lies in its people-centred approach and its moral authority to open space for truth-telling and national reflection.
With Muturi at the helm, the PRJC is now expected to begin nationwide consultations and collect testimonies from victims and communities affected by political violence, displacement, economic exclusion, and other forms of systemic injustice.
As Kenya moves toward its next electoral cycle, the PRJC could become a critical platform for restoring public trust and crafting a shared national narrative — one that confronts the past, while laying the foundation for a more just future.