Former CJ Maraga gives Ruto seven days to release Police Reform Taskforce Report

Former Chief Justice David Maraga has given President William Ruto seven days to release and publish the full Police Reform Taskforce Report, warning that he will make the document public if the President fails to do so.

In a letter dated August 18, 2026, and seen by Kahawa Tungu, Maraga questioned the continued withholding of the report, which was prepared by the National Taskforce on Police Reforms and handed to President Ruto in November 2023.

Maraga, who chaired the taskforce, argued that the National Police Service (NPS) is an independent constitutional institution and cannot be directed by any individual, including the President, in the exercise of its constitutional mandate.

He also raised concerns over what he described as alleged organised political violence, goonism and partisan policing in Homa Bay and Ol Kalou, as well as violence reported at churches in Kisumu, Nairobi and Witima, among other areas.

According to Maraga, the incidents raise questions about the state of policing and the protection of citizens’ rights under the current administration.

The former Chief Justice said the taskforce made recommendations aimed at strengthening the independence of the National Police Service and addressing systemic police brutality and impunity.

Among the recommendations, he said, was for the President to take appropriate action to restore the independence of the NPS and address challenges affecting policing in the country.

Maraga accused the President of failing to implement the recommendations nearly three years after the report was submitted.

He further argued that the report was prepared using public resources and should therefore be accessible to Kenyans in accordance with the constitutional right of access to information.

“In the circumstance, and in view of the fact that the report was secured at public expense, and in line with Article 35 of the Constitution, I demand that you immediately release and publish the complete and unedited Taskforce Report within seven days, failing which I will myself release it,” Maraga said.

The National Taskforce on Police Reforms was established to examine challenges facing the country’s policing system and recommend reforms aimed at improving accountability, professionalism and respect for human rights within the National Police Service.