Maraga accuses govt of terrorising innocent Kenyans
By Aloys Michael, July 21, 2025Former Chief Justice David Maraga has launched a scathing attack on the government, accusing it of weaponising the criminal justice system and using state institutions to suppress dissent.
In an exclusive interview with K24 TV on Monday, July 21,205, Maraga warned that the country was on a dangerous path toward authoritarianism, comparing recent government actions to oppressive regimes.
“This is a government which has lost it. It wants to make sure that it clamps down on any dissent. In other words, when it says ‘this,’ people say ‘yes, sir.’ That is not democracy,” he declared.
Maraga specifically raised concerns about the misuse of serious criminal charges, including sexual offences, to target young protesters.
“This is a country, or this is a Russia, which uses those offences so that they can be denied bail or abort [their efforts, because, you see, the sentence is up to 30 years,” he said.
“That particular person whom you issued on that particular day. We will not allow this to happen.”
According to Maraga, many of the young people recently arrested during nationwide protests against the high cost of living and the controversial university funding model are being falsely charged.
“Now, a lot of people who have been charged with that will be looking at it and saying: the former CJ did promise that this would not continue. Yet, here we are.”
He condemned the state’s increasing reliance on law enforcement to intimidate and silence critics.
“This is not great. If somebody has committed an offence, if I’ve committed an offence. I shouldn’t be judged with the journalists,” Maraga said, criticising how peaceful demonstrators are being bundled into criminal cases.
The former CJ accused the state of using the police and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) as tools of political repression.
“The police are supposed to be independent. The DPP is supposed to be independent. Now, they have been captured. They’re just singing the tune of those in power,” he lamented.
He went on to accuse the political class of deliberately undermining democratic institutions to hold onto power. “You continue to criticise the political class for undermining the rule of law, just like you put it, this is a captured state,” Maraga asserted.
Abductions and extrajudicial actions
Maraga also raised alarm over reports of abductions and extrajudicial actions taken against government critics.
“Those who oppose you, you kidnap them, you kill them, some of them you maim. That’s not a democracy,” he said.
He noted that the root cause of the youth-led protests was legitimate economic and social grievances.
“All these young people were protesting against is the cost of living, the university funding model. And in fact, what they were saying is: implement the Constitution.”
The former head of Kenya’s Judiciary questioned why the government seemed afraid of upholding the very document it was sworn to protect. “Why is the government afraid of implementing the Constitution? If it fails, let it fail but implement it,” he said.
Maraga also painted a grim picture of the long-term implications if current trends persist. “It has reached a stage where, if we keep quiet, somebody will come and tell you: ‘Get out of here. This is my problem, not yours.’”
He concluded with a warning: “Kenya is a democracy, just like many other countries. But what kind of democracy is it where those in power use their position to loot public resources and silence everyone else?”
As political temperatures rise amid ongoing protests and reports of human rights abuses, Maraga’s remarks are likely to further fuel national debate about the state of Kenya’s democracy and the integrity of its institutions.