The legality of President William Ruto's team of advisors is under scrutiny following a legal challenge filed by Nairobi-based lawyer Suiyanka Lempaa. The lawsuit questions the advisors' roles, remuneration, and the criteria used for their selection, arguing these positions are unconstitutional, not anchored in law, and may be used to reward political allies rather than being based on merit.

Lempaa's petition, filed before Justice Mwamuye, contends that the public was not informed about the intention to create these advisory offices, nor were public views sought on their necessity or viability. The lawyer argues there was a lack of transparency in both the creation of these roles and the recruitment process. Furthermore, the suit claims that the law does not permit such hiring at State House beyond positions for the President's personal staff, and questions the necessity of these advisors when the government already has technocrats and Principal Secretaries whose duties are legally defined and often overlap. The lawsuit seeks the revocation of these appointments and demands that the advisors refund all earnings.

This legal challenge comes despite President Ruto's earlier promises to reduce the number of presidential advisers as part of austerity measures, especially in the wake of anti-government protests over the 2024 Finance Bill. However, the number of advisors has significantly increased, reportedly from about seven to over 20, with their offices consuming more than Sh1 billion annually. This has raised questions about whether the President needs such a large team, given the existing structure of Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and ministry technocrats.

The team of advisors has continued to grow. Recent appointments include Christopher Doye Nakuleu as Senior Political Advisor and Prof Makau Mutua, a longtime ally of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs. This expansion contrasts sharply with former President Mwai Kibaki's approach, who had only three advisers during his second term, including Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Raphael Tuju. The current broad-based arrangement where the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition works with the ODM party is also cited as a potential reason for further expansion of the advisory team.

President Ruto's extensive list of advisors covers various sectors. Key figures include: Prof Makau Mutua (Senior Advisor on Constitutional Affairs), Moses Kuria (Senior Economic Advisor), David Ndii (Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors), and Monica Juma (National Security Advisor). Other advisors are Dominic Menjo (Food Security and Animal Production Advisor), Edward Kisiang’ani (Senior Advisor & Member of the Council of Economic Advisors), Joseph Boinnet (Deputy National Security Advisor), Jaoko Oburu (Special Advisor on Youth Economic Empowerment), Silvester Kasuku (Governance Advisor), Harriette Chiggai (Advisor on Women’s Rights), Abdi Guliye (Advisor on Livestock and Rangeland Management), Nancy Laibuni (Associate Member of the Council of Economic Advisors), Kennedy Ogeto (Senior Legal Advisor), Augustine Cheruiyot (Senior Advisor and Head of the Presidential Economic Secretariat), Henry Kinyua (Advisor on Food Security), Joe Ager (Advisor on Governance), Karisa Nzai (Political Advisor), Ali Somane (Advisor on Security Affairs in the Office of the National Security), Mohammed Hassan (Advisor in the Council of Economic Advisors), Steven Otieno (Advisor on Cooperatives), and the recently appointed Christopher Doye Nakuleu (Senior Political Advisor).