Ruto Borrows Weekly What Kibaki Borrowed in 10 Years, Ndidi Nyoro Claims

Kiharu Member of Parliament Ndindi Nyoro has raised serious concerns over what he terms as excessive borrowing by President William Ruto’s administration, warning that Kenya could be heading into a full-blown debt crisis.

Speaking on Wednesday, Nyoro drew stark comparisons between President Ruto and the late President Mwai Kibaki, arguing that while both borrowed funds, Kibaki used loans to finance visible development projects—unlike Ruto’s current track record.

“During President Mwai Kibaki’s entire 10-year term, he inherited a national debt of Ksh600 billion and left it at around Ksh1.8 trillion. That means he borrowed approximately Ksh1.2 trillion in total—the same amount Kenya is now borrowing every week,” Nyoro stated.

Nyoro, a former Budget and Appropriations Committee chairperson, said the scale of borrowing under Ruto should translate into significant development gains. However, he claimed that Kenyans have yet to see returns that reflect the rising debt levels.

“In his 10 years, we saw mega developmental projects like the Thika Super Highway and the construction of major roads. So if we’re borrowing as much in one week as Kibaki did over 10 years, then we should be seeing visible development every single year in Kenya,” he emphasized.

He also criticized President Ruto and Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi for insisting that Kenya’s debt remains under control, calling such assurances misleading. Nyoro made the remarks during the official unveiling of the renovated St Paul’s Gikuu Primary School in Kiharu.

“The public debt in Kenya is at crisis level. We can defend it all we want, but the reality is visible on the ground,” he stated.

Nyoro revealed that over Ksh1.1 trillion in the upcoming 2025/2026 budget will go toward paying interest on existing loans. He also warned that the government will need to borrow at least Ksh900 billion more just to bridge the fiscal gap.

“We cannot continue digging the hole, yet in our utterances, we appear like we are doing proper debt management,” he added.

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