Former Chief Justice David Maraga has called upon the current administration led by President William Ruto to stop abusing the courts and respect the anti-terrorism laws.

Taking to X on Thursday, September 11, 2025, Mraga, who has also declared interest in running the 2027 presidency, revealed that he was compelled to appear at the Kahawa Law Courts in solidarity with the youth arrested in connection with the anti-government protests..

”I attended Court with other Advocates for the youth, to defend our Constitution. We stand with these young people because they are not terrorists. They are the conscience of our nation. The lives of these 70 youth have been turned into hell as they cannot do anything meaningful with terrorism charges on their necks,” David Maraga said.

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”Those who have not been able to meet the bond terms are languishing in cells since the Saba Saba commemoration. This is unacceptable. Ruto’s regime must stop abusing the Courts and the anti-terrorism laws. I demand that the ODPP drop these sham terrorism charges against peaceful protesters. Our consolation is that it is a matter of time before we reclaim our country and reset it to constitutionalism,” he added.

Curbing extrajudicial killings

Maraga’s remarks on the release of the protesters come at a time when nearly three-quarters of Kenyans do not think that the government is doing enough to investigate and stop extra-judicial killings and abductions, almost four times as many as those who view that it is doing so (73% vs. 19%).

This is in accordance with the report released by TIFA on Thursday, September 11, 2025, on the national survey conducted on August 23 and September 3, 2025. In the particular survey, a total of 2023 randomly selected Kenyan adults (aged 18 and above) across all 47 counties were interviewed at their residences.

”There is also a clear if not overwhelming, divide between those who support and oppose the BBG on this issue, with three times as many of the former giving the government credit for its handling of this issue as do the latter (37% vs. 12%). The figure among those who have no opinion about the BBG falls in between those of Kenyans who do.” TIFA said in a statement.

According to TIFA, its researchers interviewed 2,023 randomly selected Kenyan adults across all 47 counties, capturing views on household economic realities, government policy, political alignment, and expectations ahead of the 2027 general election.

These findings come at a time when the government has put measures in place to compensate the victims of the latest anti-government protests since the 2024 demonstrations against the Finance Bill. During the period, many have been reported dead, while scores have been injured in the hands of the police.

TIFA noted that subsequent political and economic developments may have influenced public opinion since the survey period, but said the results provide an accurate snapshot of Kenyan attitudes at the time.