From Ruto's insider to critic: Inside Ndindi Nyoro's dramatic fall

With the country still blooming from the yellow fever wave that had swept Mount Kenya, and given president William Ruto almost half of his winning votes only four months earlier, Samson Ndindi Nyoro lurked forward to receive his Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) during the 59th Jamhuri Day.

He was among the youthful faces receiving some of the nation’s highest honours underlining the fact that a new order and new sheriff was in town.

What a fitting tribute to a close Ruto ally whose revolt against former president Uhuru Kenyatta at his backyard had slowly chipped then bled loyal support to a shameful spectacle.

Among the UDA top ranks, Ndindi Nyoro was in the loyal top layer just below the president that also had Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, cabinet secretaries Kithure Kindiki, Alice Wahome and Kipchumba Murkomen as well as Majority Leaders Kimani Ichung'wa, and Aaron Cheruyoit.

As a matter of fact, Kindiki, Wahome and Nyoro were some of the names the president had mentioned as having considered before settling on Gachagua for running mate position.

When he eventually settled down as the Chairman of the strategic Budget and Appropriations Committee in the National Assembly, the youthful second term legislator was rated as one of the best performing Mps.

Besides his exemplary work at the constituency through the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) all the stars appeared to be aligned  for the United Development Alliance (UDA) legislator.

He was representing a constituency reputed for producing cabinet ministers in the old order.

It was Kiharu (formerly Mbiri when it covered the whole of Kiharu, Kangema and Mathioya) that had produced the independence era cabinet minister Dr Julius Kiano, then legendary Kenneth Matiba to the dying days of Moi era, the stockbroker Ngenye Kariuki.

Post 2010 constitution, the two Murang'a governors Mwangi wa Iria and Irungu Kang'ata also hailed from Kiharu.

Then things went on a nose dive and today the Kiharu Mp says "We didn't speak about it because we I thought it was clear to all Kenyans that we left UDA long long time ago."

That declaration was only recently made in a meeting is his constituency exciting many in the opposition and underlining the erosion that has happened in the ranks of the UDA steadfast pillars in Mt Kenya region.

Nyoro said the  Genesis of his fallout with President William was his differing with the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in 2024.

He said the last meeting he was with the president was when he declared he would not support the impeachment after which he was given a cold reception and ultimately removed from his parliamentary committee position.

"The impeachment process wa a wrong move and as many people and nations do, they trivalised it as we have seen Russia do in its war with Ukraine," said the Mp.

He added that the UDA'S main problem was that impeachment had not previously happened in Kenya and there was no example they could look up to.

He admits that romours of the impeachment started many months before it happened but many did not expect it to take a drastic turn until the last few days when things steadily gained steam.

"I personally made a conscious decision not to support the impeachment and to me it did not matter what I got from that decision," said Nyoro.

He recalls that at that moment he was in a cohesive UDA team but not too cosy with Rigathi Gachagua.

"Politics are by nature full of collisions but not we had no major disagreements with Gachagua that would have made me support his removal," he recalled.

To Nyoro, it was clear where the impeachment move emanated from.

"It was a weighty matter that could not have just been originated from a mere Mp. In fact I have heard Gladys Boss (Uasin Gishu Woman Mp) speak about the same and have absolutely no reason to doubt her,' us how the Mp summaries the saga.

He said the pro impeachment faction in the party made up it's mind of allies and opponents depending on who signed or failed to sign the original petition calling for the impeachment.

"There was no party concave that would have thrawted the impeachment. At least in my mind I never attended any such meetings From the moment I declared my stand, I would only read of things in the media including the threat and the decision to dewhip me," he recalled.

"As chairman of Budget I would be attending high level meetings and nobody would say anything to me. Eventually, it would be reported I had been removed from my position and we moved on."

What inspired the steady fall from the yellow fever wave in August 2022 to a struggling party in the mountain in two years? Ndindi Nyoro thinks president Ruto's party failed to transition from mere sloganeering to delivering it's promises to people who had so much hope in the government.

"The president gets credit for success of his government and therefore ultimate responsibility to shape their legacy lay with the prime leader," the Kiharu Mp said.

He accused President Ruto if abruptly changing direction resulting in the loss of key supporters.

"It is my believe that as a leader you must be well grounded in governing rather than mere sloganeering. It is equally important that you think about how to change the country rather than engaging in mere politicking,' he said.

Nyoro has always faced the accusation that some powers in UDA appeared to have at some point been grooming him for a key position probably as checkmate to Gachagua.

At one time in the early months of the Ruto presidency, he attended harambees here and there and would donate upwards of Sh1 million as guest of honour raising eyebrows in much the same way some Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) honchos are.

"The truth of the matter is that I used my own resources for those harambees and never got a cent from the president, then deputy or anybody else. They can contradict me if I am wrong. Infact, they could be owing me because I at some point gave them credit for contributions, they never gave me," he added.

He said he was mainly invited to those fundraisers by Mps who thought he could influence allocations to their areas.

"Mps are basically self serving just like any ordinary human being. The truth is I I would get those invites because of my pedestal position.'

He claimed he stopped those fundraisers after the 2024 Finance Bill riots because he read the national mood in abhorring the flaunting of money.

"While I continue to attend fundraisers in my constituency and elsewhere, I have also learnt to give quietly without publicizing the same," he added.

Was he ever promised the DP position and was that the cause of his fallout with the president?

"I have never sat down with anyone to discuss positions before the elections or after. Even the Budget Committee chairmanship was never discussed," he said.

Nyoro has won the reputation of running one of the most efficient CDFs nationally especially his primary school infrastructure improvement project that has seen school years paved and classrooms given facelifts comprising tiled floors and painted walls. It has covered all public primary schools in his constituency while all day secondary scholars benefit from highly subsidized Sh500 termly fees

He said he has achieved that through cutting out costly contractors and opting for a labour-based model.

"Contractors have a 30 percent markup on such projects and then a 16 percent VAT is slapped eating into public allocations. This is the head start we are getting by removing the contractors," he added.

He told off critics who have tried to link his chairmanship of Budget Committee to the success of the school improvement project.

“NG CDF is a formula based allocation. Its parameters are too complex to be influenced by one person," he said. "The bulk 75 percent of the allocation is equal to all constituencies and the rest based on number of wards. The predetermined formula has no allowance for monkey games."

Nyoro insisted that his current political move to withdrawal from UDA is driven by what he thinks is right for the country because the UDA government has lost touch with the ordinary mwananchi.

'I like other Kenyans live in Kenya and can feel the national mood. It can't be that every opinion poll is wrong."­