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Havi warns AG against taking legal advice from Ruto after establishment of anti-graft team
19th August, 2025 04:56 PM
Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has cautioned Attorney General Dorcas Oduor against relying on legal advice from President William Ruto following the establishment of a new multi-agency team to spearhead the war on corruption.
In a statement on Tuesday, August 19, 2025, Havi argued that the Attorney General, as the principal legal adviser to the government, must remain independent in discharging her duties to safeguard the constitutionality of executive actions.
“The Attorney General of the Republic of Kenya must now stop taking legal advice from the President of the Republic of Kenya to avoid government decisions being declared as unconstitutional and quashed by the High Court,” he stated.
War against corruption
This comes shortly after President 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.
Further, the MAT will be funded through budget allocations of its member institutions and other approved sources.
The Executive Office of the President will chair the team, while the Office of the Attorney General will serve as the Secretariat.
President Ruto underscored that the multi-agency approach was designed to close gaps in Kenya’s anti-graft fight by aligning institutions and eliminating duplication of efforts.
