NAIROBI, Kenya — Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has openly accused the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) of abandoning its campaign pledges, deepening his political rift with President William Ruto’s administration.
Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, January 14, Nyoro said his disagreement with the government stems from what he described as a sharp departure from the economic and social policies that UDA sold to voters during the 2022 election campaign.
“I think it is the party that deviated. Because when we were campaigning, I had a chance to come here to sell our agenda. The party has deviated from what we were to do,” Nyoro said.
At the heart of his criticism is the government’s growing appetite for borrowing.
Nyoro argued that UDA had promised Kenyans a more cautious approach to debt, yet the current administration has continued to accumulate loans at a pace he believes threatens long-term economic stability.
“We told Kenyans that we were not going to borrow the kind of money we are borrowing now. We promised that we will go slow on borrowing because for sustainable development it’s not about spending now but the future of our economy,” he said.
Nyoro also faulted the government for what he described as a failure to prioritise education funding, another key pillar of UDA’s campaign platform.
“We were also to give education the primacy it deserves; I don’t think the party is doing what we sold to the Kenyan people, especially when it comes to funding education and holistic things,” he said, adding that growing discontent among young people was being fuelled by unmet expectations.
In recent weeks, the outspoken MP has increasingly criticised the administration’s economic direction, including proposals to sell Safaricom PLC shares and expand the Rironi–Mau Summit highway under new financing models.
Nyoro also revealed that his relationship with President Ruto has been distant since he was removed from the influential Budget and Appropriations Committee.
“The last time we spoke was during the last moments I served as chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee,” he said, referring to his exit from the post in March 2025.
He was replaced by Alego Usonga MP Samuel Atandi, following the formation of the broad-based government between President Ruto and the late Raila Odinga.
Nyoro said he was never given any explanation for his removal and had not received any formal complaint from the Kenya Kwanza leadership about his performance.
