Former Chief Justice David Maraga has engaged a Washington-based advisory firm to provide strategic counsel and international advocacy.
Through Friends For Maraga, the former CJ’s campaign team has engaged Vanguard Africa, as it builds its campaign around democratic governance and election integrity ahead of the 2027 general election.
A US Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara) filing shows that Friends of Maraga signed an agreement with Vanguard Africa.
The lobby group is a Washington, DC-based political advisory and advocacy firm that has previous consulted for Raila Odinga in 2017 and 2022.
The agreement was subsequently filed with the US Department of Justice on September 4.
Under the arrangement, Vanguard Africa will provide probono advisory and international advocacy services to Maraga from November 30.
The filing says the firm will seek to elevate Maraga’s profile and promote his political agenda, with the agreement centred on “supporting free and fair elections in Kenya.”
Vanguard Africa will provide strategic advising and messaging, international advocacy and preparation for the United Nations General Assembly, according to the Fara filing.
The engagement also includes efforts to take Maraga’s democratic governance message to influential actors in the US.
Where feasible, the firm says, it will support outreach to US policymakers and congressional offices, as well as relevant committees, caucuses, commissions and staff.
The objective is to build awareness around “Kenya’s democratic trajectory” and the importance of “credible, peaceful and competitive elections.”
The arrangement gives Friends of Maraga an international advocacy component as Kenya heads towards the 2027 election.
Friends of Maraga describes its activities as being centred on Maraga’s “anti-corruption platform, servant leadership” and his commitment to “resetting and rebuilding Kenya’s governance with integrity.”
Its stated purpose is to raise awareness on democratic governance, accountability and the rule of law.
The agreement was signed by Vanguard Africa executive director Jeffrey Smith and Agostinho Neto in his capacity as executive director of Friends of Maraga on September 2.
According to the deal, the lobby group will hold weekly strategy meetings with Friends of Maraga and maintain two discussion tracks.
One will be focused on the “ground campaign in Kenya” and another on free and fair election advocacy, international awareness and external stakeholder engagement.
However, the document does not provide details of specific campaign activities, candidates or constituencies that Friends of Maraga intends to target.
The initial agreement is deliberately limited in duration.
After November 30, the two parties will hold an in-person strategy session in December to assess their next steps.
The review will consider “strategic needs, campaign priorities, staffing requirements, budget priorities” and any expanded or renewed engagement during the 2027 election campaign period.
In a letter accompanying the contract, Smith said Vanguard Africa was “honoured to support” Friends of Maraga’s work to advance election integrity in Kenya.
The firm said the former CJ’s public service record and commitment to the rule of law were central to efforts “to inspire a more open, accountable and democratic future for all Kenyans.”
Maraga, who arrived in the US on Wednesday, met Vanguard Africa co-founder Joe Trippi in Washington, DC on Thursday and discussed electoral integrity and promotion of youth participation in civic processes.
Trippi is also a well-known US political consultant known for his work on campaigns for prominent Democratic Party members.
He on Friday met US Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, civil society and think tanks convened by National Endowment for Democracy.
“Our discussions centred on the people's coalition's five-point electoral reform agenda for a free, fair, credible 2027 election in Kenya. We look forward to building meaningful partnerships to make this a reality,” Maraga said.
He has also met with the Kenya Nurses Association of America in Towson, Maryland, attended by some 300 Kenyan nurses in diaspora.
Maraga spoke of a plan to demand for an amendment of the election act to allow the diaspora to vote electronically.
“We are demanding an amendment to the Elections Act to provide for electronic voting for diaspora because that is the voting system we eventually want to have in place.”
