Former Chief Justice David Maraga has launched a strong critique against President William Ruto's recent anti-corruption initiatives, specifically his formation of an anti-corruption task force. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Maraga dismissed the task force as a 'sugarcoating strategy' and a mere 'PR exercise' designed to 'hoodwink Kenyans', arguing that it represents a duplication of roles already assigned to established constitutional institutions.

Maraga emphasized that Kenya possesses several institutions with a clear constitutional mandate to tackle corruption. He asserted that these existing bodies, such as the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (CID), and the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), only require adequate support to effectively carry out their investigations and ensure proper judgments. According to Maraga, creating new bodies is not only unnecessary but also risks overstepping the President's mandate by establishing unconstitutional entities and wasting taxpayer money.

The former Chief Justice also addressed President Ruto’s recent allegations regarding Members of Parliament demanding money from the executive. Maraga expressed keen interest in knowing the identities of these MPs and from whom they were demanding millions. He acknowledged that the President might be a consumer of 'raw intelligence' but urged him to disclose the source of this information to the EACC for proper investigation, highlighting the difficulty in confirming such allegations without concrete sources.

Maraga reiterated that the fight against corruption will not be won through task forces but through the diligent work of constitutionally mandated agencies. He called upon the EACC, CID, and DPP to step up their efforts, conduct thorough investigations, and prefer correct charges. Furthermore, he urged Members of Parliament to stand their ground, remain uncompromised by the executive, and fulfill their mandates ethically.

Beyond his criticism of the current administration's anti-corruption approach, David Maraga also made known his presidential aspirations. He vowed that if elected president, he would not interfere with the other arms of government but would instead demand accountability from them. Shunning tribal politics, Maraga stated his intention to rely on the financial support of Kenyans to fund his presidential campaigns.