Former Chief Justice David Maraga unleashed a blistering attack on President William Ruto, accusing him of orchestrating “the most diabolical bribing of MPs in Kenya’s history.”
The allegations come just days after Ruto publicly criticized Members of Parliament (MPs) and Senators for soliciting bribes, vowing arrests and prosecutions. For Maraga, this was more than a political warning, it was an “extraordinary admission” that corruption runs deep at the heart of Kenya’s governance.
“If the President can publicly point fingers at Parliament, then he must also open himself to the same scrutiny. Kenyans will not accept a one-sided anti-corruption gospel that spares the pulpit while condemning the pews,” Maraga declared.
The former CJ alleges that Ruto masterminded a massive bribery campaign, particularly during his bitter fallout with Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. According to him, MPs themselves have given “first-person confessions” of receiving money from State House, a revelation that strips the President of moral authority.
“The President bribes Parliament when he needs their help, then ridicules them in public once their usefulness ends. In the mythos of grand political bribes and betrayals, Brutus has nothing on Ruto,” he added.
Maraga also questioned the opaque flow of money funding Ruto’s countrywide “empowerment drives” and handouts. He pointed to missing billions including Ksh44.8 billion lost from eCitizen and millions allegedly wired to “ghost schools” as examples of unaccounted public funds.
To restore credibility, Maraga outlined four demands for the President:
Budget Transparency – Disclose the budget line, expenditure, and beneficiaries of all empowerment programs and cash transfers.
Action on Mega Scandals – Allow independent investigations into eCitizen theft, ghost school payments, and questionable multi-billion renovations, with findings made public.
Reinstatement of Graft Cases – Reopen corruption prosecutions dropped from the Uhuru era and bar implicated officials from office until cleared by courts.
Equal Accountability – Extend the anti-corruption war beyond Parliament to the executive, judiciary, and parastatals.
Maraga’s broadside lands amid worsening tensions between the executive and legislature. MPs have paralyzed committee activities, demanding Ruto produce evidence for his bribery claims. At the same time, the High Court has temporarily suspended the newly created Multi-Agency Team on War Against Graft (MAT), citing concerns over its legality.
Analysts have also warned the standoff could push Ruto’s presidency into dangerous waters.
Maraga argues that unless the President acts decisively and transparently, history may brand him not as a reformer, but as the architect of Kenya’s most entrenched bribery empire.
