'It follows you to your grave': Ndung'u accuses Ruto of overrunning state institutions

Former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u. [File,Standard]

Former National Treasury Cabinet Secretary Njuguna Ndung'u has accused President William Ruto of overrunning state institutions, saying fear of lifelong repercussions forces officials to conform.

Speaking during a discussion in Sweden, where he earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Gothenburg, Ndung'u said independent institutions exist but are weakened when leaders seek to dominate them.

"Right now, the current president overruns all the institutions. And that is why everybody in those institutions will have to conform for fear," Ndung'u noted.

He said he refused to engage in deals during his tenure at the National Treasury despite pressure, warning that the consequences of compromising public office can last a lifetime.

"I refuse to do deals in the Ministry of Finance. I can't do deals. I know, it follows you to your grave," he added.

Ndung'u argued that the consequences of institutional compromise outlast the political regimes in which they occur.

"It doesn't go away with the regime, by the way. There are people who are my friends; they were caught up in some of those things, including in the Central Bank. And even by the time they died, they were still being followed by those things," he recalled.

He added that some of the cases involving his associates were never concluded because of the severity of the consequences they carried.

Ndung'u served in Ruto's first Cabinet after the president took office in 2022, making him one of the highest-ranking former administration officials to publicly accuse the government of weakening state institutions.

His remarks echo criticism by former Attorney General Justin Muturi, who has accused Ruto of interfering with institutions of governance.

Muturi argued that only the Office of the Auditor General, the Office of the Controller of Budget and, to a large extent, the Judiciary had remained free from political interference.

Ndung'u's comments also come after repeated friction between the Executive and the Judiciary over court rulings that have blocked or delayed implementation of some government policies.

The administration has also faced criticism from legal groups and opposition leaders over its handling of the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Ndung'u served as Governor of the Central Bank of Kenya from March 2007 to March 2015 before Ruto appointed him Treasury Cabinet Secretary in September 2022.

 The president removed him from the Cabinet in July 2024 after dissolving most of his ministers following nationwide anti-government protests.