Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has described corruption as the single greatest obstacle to Kenya’s development, warning that the vice has deeply entrenched itself across every sector of society.
Speaking amid growing debate on graft, Kindiki said corruption has “muddied the present and stolen the future,” stressing that it cuts across the three arms of government, devolved units, civil society, academia, and even religious institutions.
“Just like the war our nation has waged on poverty over the decades, an uncompromising, long-term and non-political strategy to defeat corruption, especially grand corruption, will elevate Kenya to the first world in a generation,” he stated.
His remarks came days after President William Ruto unveiled a Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption (MAT) through an Executive Order, which he termed a “whole-of-government” approach to the fight against graft. The taskforce brings together the EACC, DCI, ODPP, KRA, CBK, and other agencies.
However, the High Court has suspended the team’s operations pending a petition challenging its legality.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued interim orders after petitioners argued that the taskforce undermines independent constitutional bodies already mandated to investigate and prosecute corruption. The matter will be mentioned on September 9 ahead of a full hearing on December 4.
The suspension marked an early setback for President Ruto’s renewed anti-graft push, which has also been overshadowed by allegations of extortion in Parliament. Both Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga have accused legislators of turning parliamentary committees into “extortion rackets.”
The President claimed some MPs have pocketed up to Sh10 million to influence legislation, including anti-money laundering laws. “We are not going to shame them. We are going to arrest them — those giving, those receiving, and those facilitating,” Ruto warned.
Raila, however, distinguished between lobbying and outright extortion. “Lobbying is okay. In the US, you have firms formed to lobby Congress.
But lobbying is different from extortion,” he said, noting that the practice has eroded Parliament’s credibility and discouraged investors.
