Maraga blasts Ruto for hurried signing ‘draconian’ laws on day of Raila’s death

Former Chief Justice and now presidential hopeful David Maraga on Tuesday came out guns blazing against President William Ruto over the signing of eight Bills into law on the day former Prime Minister Raila Odinga died.

Maraga, who was flanked by officials of his Green Movement Party of Kenya in Nairobi, said Ruto's action is a mockery of the Constitution and constitutionalism.

"We are deeply concerned by the trajectory our country is taking. What is happening is a mockery of what Raila fought for and also a mockery of the Constitution," Maraga said.

The ex-CJ was astonished that, at a time when the country was mourning, the president signed "draconian" Bills.

"What a shame! The amendments are touching on our freedom and sovereignty."

Maraga said that the Computer Misuse and Cyber Crimes Amendment Act seeks to crush dissent in the pretence that it is meant to weed out cyber criminals.

"Section 6J(a) gives the cyber crime committee power to shut down websites, blogs, mobile apps, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube for allegedly promoting hate. This is a direct affront to fair hearing as enshrined in the Constitution. In essence, it makes this committee judge and prosecutor in such matters," protested Maraga.

Ex-CJ David Maraga on the signing of the new laws by President Ruto: The amendments to the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act essentially seek to control and crush political dissent and protests under the guise of protecting citizens from cybercriminals. pic.twitter.com/LabNCZU7AP

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) October 21, 2025

The presidential hopeful protested that there was limited public participation in the matter. "Unsurprisingly, the majority of MPs ignored the concerns of Kenyans, even from ministries," he said.

In a direct attack on Ruto's administration, Maraga said the president has lost legitimacy to govern this country.

"A president who does not respect the constitution governing the country he leads doesn't deserve to lead," said Maraga.

He promised to challenge Ruto's move in the courts by seeking legal redress.

On the privatisation of state corporations, he warned that the move is meant to rob Kenyans.

"The most outrageous part is just a brief explanation for privatisation; the reason for privatisation is not a must. This is meant to make the government evade parliamentary oversight," said Maraga.

He claimed that the President is in a hurry because he is allegedly seeking to sell the companies to themselves or their proxies in a way Kenyans will not know.

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"The new Privatisation Act gives the Treasury CS the power to auction public assets, including strategic assets. Ruto's bottomless greed seeks to sell public assets without meaningful public participation," Maraga said.

"You speak of moving Kenya from third to first world, yet you destroy the very foundation of the country's prosperity. We remind the state that sovereignty belongs to the people of Kenya. Not to the Executive, Parliament and Foreign investors."

Critics have argued that the new law appears less about regulating genuine cybercrime and more about political control and monitoring of online spaces.

This is particularly after several provisions of the law give the government powers to block websites or apps, remove content, or shut down digital platforms, which has raised alarm that the law could be used to stifle dissent, investigative journalism and legitimate online expression.

Also, the definitions used in the law, such as 'likely to cause fear or violence', 'grossly offensive', 'promote illegal activities', 'extremist religious or cultic practices', are criticised as being vague and open to broad interpretation, giving the government wide discretion.

Further, the very high jail terms and fines have raised eyebrows on fairness and Kenya's commitment to digital rights.

For example, the penalty for cyber harassment, which is defined as communication that an individual knows or ought to know could cause emotional, reputational, safety or property harm, is a fine of up to Sh20 million, imprisonment for up to 10 years, or both.

Other Bills assented into law by Ruto on October 15 were the Privatisation Bill (2025), National Land Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Land (Amendment) Bill 2024, Virtual Asset Service Providers Bill, 2025, Air Passenger Service Charge (Amendment) Bill, 2025, Wildlife Conservation & Management (Amendment) Bill, 2024, and the National Police Service Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2024.