Court suspends Ruto’s anti-corruption taskforce pending hearing of case
They contend that President Ruto’s decision duplicates existing institutions and is therefore invalid. The petitioners claim that the presidential proclamation of August 18, 2025, which created the task force, violates several provisions of the 2010 Constitution.
The High Court has halted President William Ruto's recent establishment of a Presidential Multi-Agency Team on the War Against Corruption (MAT-WAC), pending the hearing of a suit filed by four petitioners.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued temporary orders and directed the respondents to file their responses by August 29, ahead of a mention scheduled for September 9 to confirm compliance.
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The orders followed a petition by Dr Magare Gikenyi, Eliud Karanja Matindi, Philemon Abuga Nyakundi, and Dishon Keroti Mogire, who argue that the move is unconstitutional.
They contend that President Ruto’s decision duplicates existing institutions and is therefore invalid. The petitioners claim that the presidential proclamation of August 18, 2025, which created the task force, violates several provisions of the 2010 Constitution.
“The President lacks a constitutional mandate to establish an anti-corruption agency, a role already assigned to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) by Article 79,” the court papers read.
The petitioners described the powers exercised by the Head of State as “imaginary, hot-air mirage powers”, arguing that the Constitution expressly limits executive authority in matters reserved for independent commissions.
They sought conservatory orders to suspend the task force, halt its operations, and prevent it from compiling or implementing any reports. They argue that failure to do so would breach the Constitution, erode public trust, and amount to an abuse of taxpayer funds.
The petitioners further challenge the inclusion of institutions such as the Central Bank of Kenya, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the National Intelligence Service, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations in MAT-WAC, saying it undermines their constitutional independence and risks politicising their functions.
They also warn that the team’s funding model, drawing from existing budgetary allocations and unspecified “other sources”, lacks transparency and opens the door to misuse of public resources.
The Presidential Multi-Agency Team, the Attorney-General, EACC, ODPP, CBK, NIS, DCI, the Financial Reporting Centre, the Asset Recovery Agency, the Kenya Revenue Authority, and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority have been named as respondents in the case.
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