President William Ruto
President William Ruto has suffered a fresh blow, a day after he formed a Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption (MAT).
The high court on Wednesday, August 20, issued a conservatory order temporarily halting the operations of the multi-agency team.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye directed that the proclamation establishing the team be suspended pending a full hearing of the case.
“Pending the inter partes hearing and determination of the Petitioners/Applicants’ Notice of Motion Application dated 20/08/2025, a conservatory order be and is hereby issued staying the operation and implementation of, or the further operation and/or further implementation of, the ‘Presidential Proclamation on the Establishment of Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption’ issued under the Hand and the Seal of the President of the Republic on 18/08/2025,” Justice Mwamuye stated.
The court issued the orders following a petition filed by Dr. Magare Gikenyi, Eliud Karanja Matindi, Philemon Abuga Nyakundi, and Dishon Keroti Mogire, challenging the formation of the multi-agency team.
The petitioners argued that the President lacks a constitutional mandate to establish an anti-corruption agency, a role already assigned to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) by Article 79.
The petitioners went ahead to term Ruto’s formation of the multi-agency team as ‘imaginary hot air mirage powers’, claiming that the Constitution was clear on the limits of the executive’s powers.
On Tuesday, President Ruto signed a proclamation creating the Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption.
The team comprises the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) are among the agencies in the team.
Others include: the Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), the Asset Recovery Agency (ARA), the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
Also Read: Enough Is More Than Enough: We Refuse to Be Silent Ruto Has to Go!
