Maraga warns Ruto’s Sh1.5 trillion Infrastructure Fund risks mismanagement, deepening debt

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has raised alarm over President William Ruto’s proposed Sh1.5 trillion Infrastructure Fund, warning that the plan could expose public resources to mismanagement and deepen Kenya’s already significant debt burden.

"The Infrastructure Fund proposal by President Ruto is just the latest in this government's unending corruption and looting scandals that are destroying lives, futures, and dreams of Kenyans, particularly young Kenyans whose futures and dreams rise, and fall based on the conduct of those entrusted with power to determine how best our resources should be used to serve Kenyans," he said.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Tuesday, Maraga accused the Ruto administration of a pattern of corruption and mismanagement, arguing that past scandals demonstrate how public funds have been misused under the current government.

Maraga said the government had displayed a pattern of governance failures since taking office. He highlighted the Sh111 billion healthcare digitisation project, in which the government awarded a Sh104.8 billion contract outside approved budgets and competitive procurement, with an additional Sh7 billion allocated for training and support. He noted that the Auditor General confirmed the contract was neither planned nor budgeted and that it created a private vendor monopoly, disrupting healthcare delivery nationwide.

He also pointed to the fertiliser scandal, noting that fake fertiliser was distributed through state agencies, leading to losses exceeding Sh12 billion and affecting over 7,000 farmers. According to Maraga, public funds were misused through inflated tenders and ghost supplies. On the Hustler Fund, Maraga said that despite billions being disbursed, it has largely failed to empower small and medium enterprises, with defaults reportedly close to 70 per cent, effectively making it a revolving fund for political purposes.

"What was promoted as empowerment for the poor, the Hustler Fund has become a political gimmick, riddled with mismanagement and opacity. Despite billions being disbursed, it has failed to lift MSMEs out of debt or build sustainable enterprises," Maraga stated.

Regarding the Adani airport deal, Maraga noted that the government had secretly negotiated to hand over Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a foreign company accused of corruption. Although public pressure forced the deal’s collapse, taxpayers could still be liable for cancellation fees.

He further criticised the administration over the Adani airport deal, claiming the government secretly negotiated to hand over Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to a foreign company accused of corruption. Although the deal collapsed after public outcry, Maraga warned taxpayers could still be liable for cancellation fees.

Maraga criticised the administration for retaining and promoting officials facing corruption charges or adverse audit findings, including former governors and senior officials, which he said encourages a culture where theft of public resources goes unpunished. He argued that the proposed Infrastructure Fund, in the context of these past scandals, illustrated a government that “loots with one hand and begs with the other.”

The former chief justice urged citizens to demand change and participate in efforts to “Reset, Restore, and Rebuild” the country’s governance and economic systems.

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• Maraga warns Ruto’s Sh1.5 trillion Infrastructure Fund risks mismanagement
• deepening debt