Former Chief Justice David Maraga has addressed sexual harassment allegations made against his United Green Movement campaign, saying an internal review process was established to handle the matter but the complainant chose not to take part in it.
Speaking on NTV on Thursday, June 18, Maraga said former campaign staffer Shakira Wafula brought the complaints to him directly and that he treated them seriously from the start. He said he immediately directed that an independent internal committee be formed to hear the claims and establish whether they had merit.
“She raised the issue. And I said, really? Those are the allegations you are making? That is very serious. I don’t condone that kind of thing,” Maraga said. “I told her we will set up a mechanism and we’ll deal with those allegations firmly. Because I am championing the rule of law.”
The committee was formed, the allegations were placed before it, and it concluded there was no basis for action against the individual named. Maraga said the part missing from the public discussion is what happened next.
“Our sister refused to come. She refused to attend that dispute resolution process,” he said.
He also contested Wafula’s account of when she left the campaign, saying her resignation came after the review process had already been initiated. He maintained she remained entitled to participate regardless of that timing.
Maraga said it was therefore inaccurate to claim publicly that nothing was done after the complaints were raised. He stood by the committee’s findings and by the decision to retain the accused, saying allegations alone are not sufficient grounds for action without evidence and due process.
He also disclosed that two other women who left the campaign had raised similar complaints. He rejected suggestions that this indicated a broader problem within his team, saying the women had already decided to leave and were looking for reasons to justify it.