AG Dorcas Oduor has refuted claims that the Public Seal has been moved from her custody. Photo: PSC.
Days after Kisii senator Richard Onyonka called on the Attorney General (AG) Dorcas Oduor to resign, as the president had lost trust in her by shifting the custody of the Public Seal, Oduor has come out and said she is the rightful custodian of the Public Seal.
According to her, the custody of the Public Seal remains unchanged as per the 2010 constitution, that calls for the second symbol of national unity to be held by the AG, dismissing the claims that President William Ruto had shifted custody to Head of Public Service Felix Koskei.
Further refuting the claims of transfer, she has stated that as a government, they work as a team under the leadership of President William Ruto, and in accordance with the law.
“The custody of the Public Seal is clearly provided by the law, and that position remains unchanged. I am still in custody of the Seal, contrary to what has been reported in the media. As a government, we work together under the leadership of the President, as a united team,” Oduor clarified.
Speaking during an interview on Tuesday, May 27 Onyonka said that President Ruto has lost confidence in the legal counsel of AG Dorcas Oduor and has opted to transfer the mandate to a different office.
According to Onyonka, transition was reportedly facilitated by the National Assembly Administration Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which proposed to amend the Office of the Attorney-General Act, 2012, to strip the Attorney General power to host the Seal.
However, before changing tunes, the Government’s spokesperson Isaac Mwaura had defended the reports, saying that the process did not interfere with any laws as provided by the constitution, and that the Seal was still in custody of the AG’s office.
He further said that the due process of legislation recognises that the Head of Public Service, is the appropriate holder of the Public Seal.
However, former sacked AG Justin Muturi said, the transition was reportedly facilitated by the National Assembly Administration Laws (Amendment) Bill 2023, which proposed to amend the Office of the Attorney-General Act, 2012, to strip the Attorney General power to host the Seal and government avoiding accountability queries from the office of the AG.
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