Maraga Gives Ruto 7 Days to Release Police Reform Taskforce Report

By Monyonge Kebati

Chief Justice Emeritus David Maraga has given President William Ruto seven days to release and publish the complete, unedited report of the National Taskforce on Police Reforms, warning that he will make the report public himself if the President fails to do so.

In a letter dated August 18, 2026, Maraga said the taskforce, which he chaired, submitted its comprehensive report to Ruto on November 16, 2023. He said the report was prepared at public expense and should therefore be accessible to Kenyans under Article 35 of the Constitution.

Maraga accused the government of failing to implement key recommendations aimed at restoring the independence of the National Police Service and ending police brutality and impunity.

He further alleged that Kenya had witnessed organised political violence, goonism and partisan policing in areas including Homa Bay, Keumbu and Ol Kalou, as well as violence reported in churches in Kisumu, Nairobi and Witima.

According to Maraga, such incidents demonstrate what he described as the “State Capture” of the National Police Service, warning that Kenya risked returning to a period of politically driven violence.

He cited Articles 232, 239, 244 and 245 of the Constitution, together with Sections 8 and 8A of the National Police Service Act, arguing that the police service is an independent national security organ that should not be directed by any individual in carrying out its constitutional mandate.

Maraga said nearly three years had passed since the police reforms report was handed to the President without the recommendations being fully implemented.

He has now issued a seven-day demand for the report to be released, saying that failure to comply will prompt him to release the document himself.