Ndindi Nyoro, MP for Kiharu Constituency
Kiharu MP and former National Assembly Budget Committee chair Ndindi Nyoro has challenged the government to publicly account for nearly Sh4 trillion borrowed by Kenya over the last three years and two months, warning that continued borrowing without transparency places an unsustainable burden on citizens.
Speaking in Nairobi, Nyoro said the scale of borrowing is unprecedented and, under Kenyan law, should have been directed strictly towards capital expenditure and development projects. He questioned why the government is now proposing new multi-trillion shilling funding plans when it has not clearly explained how the already borrowed funds were utilised.
Nyoro argued that the Sh4 trillion borrowed could have fundamentally transformed the country if properly applied. He said the amount was sufficient to make education free at both basic and tertiary levels, while still leaving enough resources to complete major development projects across the country.
“If you divide the borrowed amount across the 290 constituencies, each should have at least Sh12 billion worth of completed projects,” he said. “That translates to about 100 kilometres of road per constituency, a Sh1 billion water project, a Sh1 billion irrigation project, more than 200 electrification schemes, and still remain with change.”
The legislator questioned why such visible development is not evident on the ground, insisting that Kenyans deserve a detailed breakdown of how the borrowed money was spent before the government introduces new borrowing plans.
Nyoro further claimed that many projects currently visible to the public were not financed using the Sh4 trillion. He alleged that ongoing road projects are funded through separate loan arrangements, while other initiatives such as studio construction projects and youth employment programmes like the National Youth Opportunities initiative are financed through different borrowing frameworks or World Bank support.
“Everything Kenyans are seeing today is largely not part of this Sh4 trillion,” he said, arguing that multiple borrowing codes make it difficult for the public to track and understand government debt.
He also disputed official claims on road construction, saying figures frequently cited by the government are inaccurate. Nyoro challenged authorities to publish verified data, insisting that the actual number of kilometres of roads constructed in recent years is far lower than what has been publicly stated.
According to him, less than 1,200 kilometres of tarmac roads have been built nationwide in recent years under new contracts, a figure he said is less than a third of what the government claims.
Nyoro is calling for a data-driven approach to governance and renewed emphasis on accountability, saying transparency in public borrowing is critical to restoring public trust.
“Before launching new trillion-shilling funds, the government must first account for the Sh4 trillion already borrowed,” he said, noting that the debt burden will continue to weigh heavily on both present and future generations of Kenyans.