President Ruto forms new multi-agency team to intensify war on corruption
The team will be chaired by the Executive Office of the President, while the Office of the Attorney General will serve as the Secretariat.
President William Ruto has established an 11-member Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption (MAT), bringing together state offices ranging from security to financial regulators in a bid to intensify the fight against graft, economic crimes and related offenses.
In a proclamation on Tuesday, Ruto said the formation of the team is part of his administration’s “whole-of-government” approach designed to enhance efficiency, synergy and impactful interventions across all arms of government.
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“The Government of the Republic of Kenya is steadfast in its commitment to reinforcing a whole-of-government approach in the fight against corruption. The government aims to implement collaborative strategies that ensure more efficient, synergised and impactful interventions across all arms of government,” Ruto said.
The team will be chaired by the Executive Office of the President, while the Office of the Attorney General will serve as the Secretariat.
It brings together the National Intelligence Service, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), the Financial Reporting Centre, the Asset Recovery Agency, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
The proclamation noted that the MAT may co-opt additional representation from other designated agencies “to further enhance its objectives.”
The President explained that the establishment of MAT was first recommended in 2015 by the Taskforce on the Review of the Anti-Corruption Legal, Policy and Institutional Framework, adding that similar ad hoc collaborations in recent years had recorded “a measure of success.”
He further cited the enactment of the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, alongside amendments to the Proceeds of Crime and Anti-Money Laundering Act, as milestones that had “strengthened the fight against corruption by providing greater impetus and establishing a more robust legal framework.”
The proclamation emphasised that the move is grounded in constitutional provisions, noting that Articles 10, 129(2), 131(1)(b), 131(2)(a), and 201 impose on the President the mandate to exercise executive authority in safeguarding and upholding the Constitution and, consequently, to ensure that public resources are utilized responsibly, openly, and accountably.
“Now therefore, I, William Samoei Ruto, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby proclaim that: A Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption is hereby established with the strategic objective of creating synergy and interagency cooperation in the fight against corruption, economic crimes, and related offenses,” he declared.
The objectives of the team, according to the President, include enhancing cooperation and coordination among agencies, engaging relevant state organs and the private sector to strengthen the anti-graft drive, identifying and supporting resource needs across member institutions, and sharing best practices in tackling corruption.
It will also be tasked with developing communication strategies to raise public awareness of the gains made in the war on corruption, as well as engaging both domestic and international partners to optimise efforts in combating economic and organised crimes and in recovering stolen public funds.
On matters of resourcing, the proclamation stated that the team shall “to the greatest extent possible, foster cooperation, coordination, and collaboration to enhance the effectiveness of the fight against corruption.” Its operations will be funded through the budgetary allocations of its member entities and other sources.
The leadership structure will see the Executive Office of the President chair the team, while the Office of the Attorney General will run the Secretariat.
The formation of the team comes days after the Head of State slammed Members of Parliament for demanding bribes from cabinet secretaries and governors, a move he said has undermined oversight and turned parliament into a “den of graft.”
Speaking at the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County, Ruto accused MPs of converting committees into money-minting platforms instead of exercising accountability.
“Something is happening in parliament that must be called out. There is money being demanded from the executive, from governors, from people in the executive, especially those who are for accountability,” he said.
The President later told a joint parliamentary group meeting with ODM and Kenya Kwanza legislators on Monday that he was aware some MPs received Sh10 million in bribes to influence the passage of the Money Laundering Bill.
“There are legitimate concerns about how resources are being spent at the counties, and we cannot run away. By virtue of the position I hold today, I am a consumer of raw intelligence. I know what’s going on,” he said, adding that legislators had been compromised to frustrate critical laws.
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