Dan Maanzo laughs off Ruto’s anti-graft push as ineffective
By David Nthua, July 31, 2025Makueni Senator Hon Dan Maanzo has dismissed President William Ruto’s latest attempt to slay the dragon of corruption, saying it is unlikely to change anything.
Speaking during an interview with one of the local media stations on Thursday, July 31, 2025, Maanzo also commented on the viral prayer by EACC boss Bishop David Oginde.
The bishop, during a hard-hitting prayer at State House as President Ruto signed the Conflict of Interest Bill into law, asked God to punish corrupt leaders and bring their plans to nothing.
Maanzo said such gestures, though symbolic, will not be enough to stop graft in a system where theft is entrenched and laws are routinely ignored.
Laws ignored
“We have enough laws to fight graft, you know,” Maanzo said.
“The prayer by Bishop Oginde talked of circumventing. This law will be circumvented. It is just a law on a piece of paper. It is meant to hoodwink the international community into funding us, and once the money lands in the accounts, it is eaten by a few individuals and doesn’t benefit the country.”
The Senator criticised what he called the routine looting of public funds, saying the government already has enough money but is failing due to collusion and theft.
He questioned the rationale behind large budgets, including the Ksh104 billion allocated to the Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF), which IT experts say could run at a fraction of that cost.
“Kenya has a lot of money. Our budget is good. But we have a lot of looting and collusions going on,” he said. “There are good examples like the SHIF. Why are we funding it with Ksh104 billion when experts say it should only cost a few million?”
Maanzo added that unless the government moves beyond public declarations and symbolic laws, corruption will remain a constant challenge.
So far, President Ruto has maintained that the new law will bring real accountability.