President William Ruto has strongly responded to former Chief Justice David Maraga’s recent remarks that described Kenya as a failed state.

Speaking during the Talanta Bell-Ringing ceremony at the Nairobi Securities Exchange on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, Ruto did not hold back in addressing what he saw as a contradiction in Maraga’s sentiments.

Ruto openly questioned how a man who had served the country for over four decades could now turn around and label the same country as a failed state. He challenged Maraga’s moral ground in seeking leadership when, according to Ruto, Maraga himself does not believe in the very country he now wants to lead.

Ruto took issue with Maraga’s ambitions, questioning how someone who has spent 40 to 50 years working in the judiciary system, one of the key institutions in the country, could now dismiss the same system and government as a failure. He dismissed Maraga’s claim as not only misleading but also hypocritical.

Hypocrisy

The president went further to argue that it is dishonest for anyone to seek leadership of a country they openly belittle and show no confidence in.

To him, such statements are not only reckless but also a clear indication that the individual does not understand or respect the foundations of the nation they once served.

“I listened to one gentleman the other day; after working for 40 or 50 years, he wants to be president. I listened to him saying that Kenya is a failed state, and I asked myself, for 40 years, you have been working in a failed state, so you want to be a president of a failed state? You want us to entrust you with leadership of a country you don’t believe in and a people you don’t believe in?” Ruto asked.

Maraga’s remarks

In a recent interview with K24 TV on July 21, 2025, former Chief Justice David Maraga issued a stark warning about Kenya’s trajectory, stating that the country is teetering on the edge of becoming a failed state.

He pointed to the worsening political and economic conditions as critical indicators of this decline, emphasising the erosion of democratic principles and constitutional rights.

Maraga expressed alarm over the government’s handling of recent protests, particularly the use of excessive force and the abduction of dissenters, which he described as a deliberate suppression of free expression.

“Look at what is happening in the country—we are sliding into a failed state. You cannot suppress people’s right to demonstrate and express themselves. Yet when they do, they are abducted, others are killed, and some are charged with serious criminal offences simply for expressing their views,” Maraga said.

He argued that these actions, coupled with the misuse of serious criminal charges to silence critics, reflect a deepening crisis that threatens the nation’s stability.