Caleb Amisi slams Ruto for chairing new anti-corruption team
By Nancy Marende, August 19, 2025Saboti Member of Parliament (MP) Caleb Amisi has criticised President William Ruto’s decision to chair the newly established Multi-Agency Team on the War Against Corruption (MAT).
In a statement on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Amisi termed the move a blatant conflict of interest and the biggest insult to Kenyans.
Further, Amisi argued that a head of state cannot preside over an institution meant to investigate and prosecute cases of graft when his administration itself faces serious allegations of corruption.
“To the president, you cannot be the judge in a case where you are jointly charged together with others, not before the court today. Creating an anti-graft agency and chairing it yourself is the most obnoxious lie you can serve Kenyans,” he stated.
“I feel for citizens of this great nation, who are constantly rolling on a roller coaster with no clear destination. Kenya needs a renaissance,” he added.
MAT’s formation
His statement comes shortly after Ruto unveiled a new multi-agency team bringing together key government institutions to strengthen the country’s fight against graft, economic crimes, and misuse of public resources.
In a statement on August 19, 2025, Ruto revealed that the Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption (MAT) will be chaired by the Executive Office of the President (EOP) and the Office of the Attorney General as secretary.
Other members include the National Intelligence Service (NIS), Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP), Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), Asset Recovery Agency (ARA), Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), and Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), as well as the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA).
“NOW THEREFORE, I, WILLIAM SAMOEI RUTO, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Kenya Defence Forces, by the authority vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby proclaim that a Multi-Agency Team on War Against Corruption (MAT) is hereby established with the strategic objective of creating synergy and inter-agency cooperation in the fight against corruption, economic crimes, and related offences,” read the statement in part.
Among its mandates, the multi-agency team will foster greater cooperation, coordination, and collaboration among anti-graft institutions; engage with the private sector and other government organs to strengthen the war on corruption; identify resource needs for member agencies and mobilise support; and share best practices in anti-corruption efforts.
The team will also develop effective communication strategies to raise awareness of progress made in fighting graft and work with both domestic and international partners to tackle corruption and organised crime and recover proceeds of crime.