NAIROBI, Kenya March 19 – Former Attorney General Justin Muturi has criticised President William Ruto over remarks linking his former Deputy Rigathi Gachagua to murder, saying such allegations are too serious to be used in political rallies and should instead be pursued through the law if backed by evidence.Speaking on Capital FM’s Breakfast show, Muturi termed the President’s remarks “reckless and unworthy of the office,” arguing that a Head of State with credible information on a criminal matter should direct lawful action rather than make public accusations.“If he has this information and he is the Head of State, what are those villages in Chwele going to help him? Just enforce the law,” Muturi said of the remarks made by the president in Western Kenya on Tuesday.He said making such claims in public without instituting legal proceedings undermines due process and risks reducing grave criminal allegations to political theatre.“It is a reckless statement, most unworthy of the holder of that office,” he said, adding that the President had in the same context indicated he had previously directed prosecution in other matters, including the Nairobi Hospital board case.Muturi suggested the remarks appeared politically driven, insisting that allegations of murder should be left to investigative and prosecutorial agencies to handle independently.His comments followed President Ruto’s statement on Tuesday during a tour of Western Kenya, where he linked Gachagua to the murder of a young woman in Nyeri, escalating an already tense political standoff between the two leaders.Gachagua has since dismissed the claims and accused the President of abandoning the dignity of his office.“He is no longer presidential. He is picking issues written by bloggers. He has stopped speaking about development issues and he is now speaking about women, girls and such,” Gachagua said in response.The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP), which is associated with Gachagua, also pushed back against the claims, saying assertions that the party leader’s aide, the late Maureen Gathigia Kinyua, was murdered were false.In a statement on Wednesday, the party said Kinyua died in a road accident and not through foul play.“Investigations into the incident classified it as a hit-and-run, and there is no official evidence linking her death to murder or foul play,” the statement said.The party accused unnamed individuals of spreading misinformation online and said such claims were baseless and likely to cause unnecessary distress to the deceased’s family, friends and supporters.“Despite these facts, misinformation has circulated online suggesting that Maureen’s death was a murder. Such claims are unverified and baseless,” the statement added.The President’s remarks have since sparked uproar online, with Kenyans calling on political leaders to tone down their rhetoric and avoid turning sensitive matters into political attacks.