For all his criticism of the policy that will guide Kenya’s taxation for the year starting July 1, Kiharu Member Parliament Ndindi Nyoro was widely expected to wage a spirited fight in the final stages of the Finance Bill, 2026.
But alas, he was missing from the National Assembly chambers at its most crucial stage.
There were zero abstentions, meaning that all the lawmakers present at the electronic voting stage took a stand. However, a significant portion of the House was absent, and the Kiharu legislator was among them.
In previous House sessions, Mr Nyoro has been unflinching in his criticism of the budgeting and taxation direction being taken by the Kenya Kwanza government.
“I ask this government: do you want to break the record of borrowing? I think the better records to break are the records of good governance, not the records of profligate borrowing as we see it now,” he said in a June 9 session.
“The money we have borrowed so far, of close to Sh4.5 trillion, is enough money to have had 100 kilometres of completed tarmac road in every constituency,” he said as he illustrated how borrowing had gone out of hand under President Ruto.
Ndindi Nyoro to President Ruto: Your government has become reckless in borrowing
In another heated session on Tuesday, Mr Nyoro came close to being kicked out of the chambers as he complained that his proposals were not considered by the National Assembly’s Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning.
In that session, he was adamant that the committee had proposed a taxation of mitumba, and he was forced to withdraw a remark that the public participants in the Bill process were “manufactured”.
Temporary Speaker Peter Kaluma accepted his withdrawal and subsequently warned against “provoking unnecessary emotions”.
On social media platforms, he had also been critical of the proposals which he said would lead to more borrowing. An instance is a June 9 Facebook post.
“The public debt is now over Sh13 trillion. We are borrowing in one year around Sh1.2 trillion; the amount President Kibaki borrowed in 10 years,” he posted.
“Kenya is also borrowing off the book from last year, just exactly what Senegal did and the more the reason they are in a deep fiscal crisis. That’s why the IMF is shunning Kenya. If we do not stop the profligate borrowing, for sure a reset is on the horizon. We must stop.”
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Interestingly, by Friday 1pm, Mr Nyoro had not posted on his social media accounts since Tuesday. With his stinging criticism, his absence on Thursday was not lost on Kenyans.
In a post addressed to Mr Nyoro, X user Edgar Nabwire said: “It looks like you wanted the credit for speaking against the Bill without taking the responsibility of voting against it.”
“He had been complaining about the Bill, but when it came time to vote, that is where he drew the line. I’m disappointed,” X user Cop Shakur posted on Friday.
“These MPs have failed us. I don’t think I will listen to any explanation they give. Our lives are going to be harder because of the choices they made,” added the rights activist.
X user Mary Njoroge said: “Ndindi Nyoro is always absent during tough moments that need firm and consistent decisions in parliament. He skipped Wamunyoro [former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s] impeachment and equally hid himself during the Finance Bill final decision.”
When reached for comment, the Kiharu MP said his absence in the House when the vote was taken on Finance Bill 2026 was because he had travelled.
“I have been out of the country since Wednesday evening, the more reason I was not in Parliament,” he said.
He added: “We have always been available and forthright in debating both the Appropriations Bill 2026 and Finance Bill 2026 in the committee and on the floor of the House as a commitment to giving a different and alternative view,” said Mr Nyoro, noting that it’s not all gloom and doom.
