NAIROBI, Kenya Apr 17 – Former Chief Justice David Maraga has launched a blistering attack on President William Ruto’s administration, accusing it of presiding over what he described as economic injustice and an exploitative taxation regime that is squeezing ordinary Kenyans.
Speaking amid growing public concern over the cost of living, Maraga claimed the government’s aggressive tax policies have eroded household incomes without delivering commensurate public services or transparency on how the revenue is utilised.
“Ruto’s government is literally perpetrating economic terrorism on the Kenyan people, and that has to be stopped,” Maraga said.
“If you look at the taxes, everything that has been set up is taxation, and that taxation does not go back to the publicnit goes into people’s pockets.”
The former Chief Justice, who has declared his presidential ambitions, argued that the current fiscal approach disproportionately burdens low- and middle-income earners, while failing to translate into tangible improvements in healthcare, infrastructure or social welfare.
He warned that the widening tax net, in the absence of visible public benefit, risks deepening inequality and eroding trust in state institutions.
Maraga also turned his focus to the government’s flagship Affordable Housing Programme Kenya, raising concerns over alleged conflict of interest in the supply chain.
He questioned the dominance of a single supplier in the provision of construction materials, particularly steel, warning that such arrangements could undermine competition and fuel profiteering.
The remarks add to mounting scrutiny of the housing programme, which has been central to the government’s economic agenda but has also faced criticism over funding mechanisms and implementation.