- Former Chief Justice David Maraga has questioned the legality of routing eTA funds to Swiss accounts.
- He wants to know if Parliament approved the deal and who had access to the offshore accounts.
- Maraga says the move violates the Constitution and could be linked to economic hardship.
Former Chief Justice David Maraga has raised tough questions about the government’s handling of revenue from the Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) system. His criticism comes just after Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura publicly confirmed that a Swiss company received the initial payments during a pilot phase of the project.
Mwaura’s Explanation
In a press briefing, Mwaura stated that the foreign firm was part of a trial partnership to roll out the eTA system. He acknowledged that the funds collected during this phase were indeed sent to the company abroad.
To calm public anxiety, Mwaura added that from now on, all eTA revenues will be channeled into Kenya’s Consolidated Fund, in line with the law.
Maraga Demands Accountability
Through a strongly worded post on his X (formerly Twitter) page, Maraga accused the government of constitutional violations. He raised concerns over the lack of transparency and demanded answers to several key issues:
“This is yet another blatant violation of the Constitution,” he wrote.
“All monies collected by or on behalf of the government must be deposited into the Consolidated Fund. Why were Swiss accounts—known for their secrecy—used? Who are the signatories? Is there evidence this isn’t another scheme for personal enrichment? Have the funds now been moved into the Consolidated Fund?”
Linked to Kenya’s Economic Woes
Maraga did not stop at legality—he tied this incident to wider issues of economic mismanagement, saying that ordinary Kenyans bear the brunt when public funds are misused.
He wrapped up his statement by urging Kenyans to demand accountability from their leaders and to vote wisely in future elections:
“We must elect leaders who respect the Constitution and serve the public interest,” Maraga said.
