NAIROBI, Kenya — Former Budget and Appropriations Committee Chairperson and Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has launched a sharp attack on the government’s plan to establish the National Infrastructure Fund (NIF), accusing President William Ruto’s administration of failing to account for nearly Sh4 trillion borrowed since taking office in 2022.
Nyoro said the government has no moral or fiscal basis to roll out another mega fund without first explaining to Kenyans how previously borrowed funds have been utilised and how the proposed new fund will be governed.
“We have borrowed close to Sh4 trillion already. Before setting up another trillion-shilling fund, those in government should face Kenyans and tell them what they have done with that money,” Nyoro said during a press address on Monday.
The outspoken legislator, once a close ally of President Ruto, argued that transparency and accountability must precede any new large-scale financing initiatives, warning that Kenyans risk being burdened with unsustainable debt without tangible development outcomes.
Nyoro further criticised the government for prioritising what he termed “grandiose ideas” while cutting funding for essential services, particularly education and health.
“How do you tell Kenyans about trillion-shilling plans when capitation is being reduced at the same time?” he posed. “The government is selling big ideas so that Kenyans lose track of the essentials.”
Citing data from the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), Nyoro noted that Kenya’s public debt stood at approximately Sh12 trillion as of June 2025, up from about Sh8.5 trillion in June 2022 — an increase of more than Sh3.5 trillion in just three years.
According to the Kiharu MP, such levels of borrowing should already have translated into visible and completed development projects across the country.
“Every constituency would have seen Sh12 billion worth of development projects — not being launched, but completed,” he said. “Every constituency would be having at least 100 kilometres of tarmac roads from the money we have borrowed.”
Nyoro also accused the government of making repeated development promises without delivering commensurate results, questioning the administration’s track record since assuming power.
In a more serious claim, the MP alleged that the government has taken on illegal loans outside the officially disclosed borrowing framework.
“It is now going to Sh13 trillion. Securitisation is not part of this; the Talanta Board money is illegal. The money that built the Bomas of Kenya is also not part of this loan framework,” Nyoro claimed. “These illegal loans are the ones we can see what they are doing.”
His remarks come even as the government insists it will push ahead with the National Infrastructure Fund despite mounting criticism from sections of Parliament, civil society, and legal experts.
According to a Cabinet dispatch, the NIF will be overseen by a competitively appointed board and chief executive officer, while the Sovereign Wealth Fund will operate under what the government termed a “robust policy framework” aimed at promoting prudent investment, fiscal discipline, and inter-generational equity.
However, Nyoro’s intervention adds to growing pressure on the administration to clarify the legal, financial, and governance frameworks underpinning the two funds — and to account for how trillions already borrowed have been spent.
