Ndindi Nyoro Demoted in Budget Row as President Ruto Fires Back

 

By Faith Cherop

Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has been officially removed from the influential Budget and Appropriations Committee, following weeks of political tension and criticism directed at the Kenya Kwanza administration. His reassignment to the relatively low-profile Diaspora & Migrant Workers Committee marks a significant fall from grace for the once-powerful ally of President William Ruto.

Nyoro’s position as Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee had already been stripped earlier, but the latest move confirms a complete ejection from the committee altogether. His replacement, Hon. Edwin Mugo Gichuki of Mathioya Constituency—described as a qualified economist with a PhD in Finance from a recognized university—now takes over the crucial parliamentary role.

The fallout follows Nyoro’s increasingly vocal criticism of the government’s fiscal policies, particularly the controversial Talanta Infrastructure Bond worth Ksh 44.8 billion. Nyoro publicly questioned the sustainability of the bond, warning that it would deepen Kenya’s debt crisis and burden citizens with high interest payments.

“This Ksh 44.8 billion bond means Kenyans will pay over Ksh 100 billion in interest alone,” Nyoro said during a parliamentary session earlier this month, adding that the current administration was pushing the country towards a “fiscal cliff.”

Fueling the friction further, Nyoro condemned rising fuel prices and urged the government to reallocate funds from opaque expenditures like confidential votes and political operations to essential services such as education.

“When you are in government, you do not promise, you do things. Remove money from confidential funds and political management and direct it to education. Kenyans are not interested in shenanigans,” Nyoro stated.

The president responded harshly to Nyoro’s dissent during a public address on March 18, 2025.

“Ndindi Nyoro is very ungrateful. I gave him a very prestigious seat but he misused it and ended up supporting Wamunyoro,” President William Ruto said. “I will take disciplinary action against him for stealing money meant for other constituencies and taking it to Kiharu.”

The public row has exposed growing cracks within the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition, with Nyoro now positioning himself as an internal critic of the very system he once fiercely defended.

“If you do not want Kenyans to write about you, then you have no business in the public domain. If you have a thin skin about that, then resign. You can’t terminate someone’s life for your own comfort,” Nyoro remarked defiantly, in what many interpret as a thinly veiled jab at the administration’s reaction to public scrutiny.

As the political drama unfolds, it remains to be seen whether Nyoro’s demotion signals a broader purge of dissent within the ruling coalition—or the rise of a new faction challenging the current leadership from within.