Nairobi

Kenya’s High Court has dealt a blow to President William Ruto’s new anti-corruption initiative. On 20 August 2025, Justice Bahati Mwamuye issued a suspension order preventing the newly formed Multi-Agency Team on the War Against Corruption (MAT-WAC) from operating—at least until the court weighs a legal challenge.

The move follows a petition by four plaintiffs: surgeon Dr Magare Gikenyi, Eliud Karanja Matindi, Philemon Abuga Nyakundi and Dishon Keroti Mogire. They argue that the President’s executive order creating MAT-WAC oversteps constitutional bounds. “The President lacks authority to establish an anti-corruption agency,” their filing states.

The court order halts all operational activities. It also bars MAT-WAC from compiling reports, issuing recommendations or deploying resources. The parties have been given tight deadlines: the government must respond by 29 August, with a case mention now set for 9 September.

The petitioners argue that only the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), established under Article 79 of the Constitution, can exercise anti-corruption authority. In their words, Ruto’s proclamation reflects nothing more than “imaginary hot-air mirage powers.”

Several independent institutions are also named as respondents, including the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Central Bank of Kenya, the NIS and DCI. The plaintiffs claim these bodies’ inclusion in the taskforce compromises their independence and risks politicisation.

Moreover, the court filing criticises MAT-WAC’s funding structure—sourced from existing budgets and vague "other sources"—as opaque and lacking legislative oversight. That, it says, risks misuse of public resources.

President Ruto created the eleven-member unit by proclamation just days earlier. It was meant to unite agencies in coordinating the fight against graft, asset recovery and financial crime.