ADVERT 
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has fired the clearest shot yet at President William Ruto’s administration, vowing to rebuild what he termed a “demolished nation” within a single five-year presidential term.
In a searing State of the Nation address delivered Tuesday, Maraga positioned himself as the antidote to what he described as institutional collapse, runaway debt, and entrenched impunity—promising a radical reset of Kenya’s governance system anchored on the Constitution and the rule of law.
“It has taken less than five years to tear this country down,” Maraga declared. “Give me five years to restore order, rebuild institutions, and return Kenya to constitutional sanity.”
At the core of Maraga’s pitch is a decisive break from what he called the era of the “imperial presidency”—a system he accused of concentrating power in the executive while hollowing out oversight institutions.
He pledged to run a disciplined, law-bound administration that prioritizes institutional independence over political control, promising to appoint competent professionals and hold them accountable without interference.
“The President must not be the supervisor of everything. My role will be to ensure systems work—not to micromanage them,” he said.
Maraga cast his campaign as a moral and constitutional reckoning, promising to dismantle the culture of impunity that has long defined Kenya’s political elite.
In unusually blunt terms, he warned that under his leadership, the era of selective justice would end.
“No one—absolutely no one—will stand above the law,” he said, in a line that underscored his judicial pedigree and reformist posture.
Turning to the economy, Maraga delivered a scathing critique of the government’s fiscal strategy, warning that Kenya’s ballooning public debt—now approaching KSh13 trillion—is choking growth and mortgaging the future.
He accused the state of reckless borrowing and unconstitutional financial engineering, including the securitization of future tax revenues, arguing that it places an unfair burden on young Kenyans.
“Nearly half of our national budget is now consumed by debt repayment. This is not governance—it is economic suffocation,” he said.
Running under the United Green Movement banner, Maraga is crafting an image of a reformist outsider—leaning heavily on his legacy as Chief Justice and his reputation for integrity.
His entry adds fresh volatility to the 2027 race, where opposition figures, including Martha Karua, are also consolidating influence amid shifting political alliances.
Maraga’s message is stark and uncompromising: Kenya does not need cosmetic reforms—it needs a systemic overhaul.
His five-year promise is as ambitious as it is risky, setting up a high-stakes test of whether judicial credibility can translate into electoral appeal in a deeply political contest.
For now, one thing is clear: the race to 2027 has found its rule-of-law candidate—and he is not pulling his punches.
