By Anderson Ojwang
The once glittering and promising political career of Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has been put on the cross, and now he is forced to fight for his political survival.
Ndindi, once viewed by Mt Kenya as the modern opposition leader, the late Kenneth Matiba, with a promising political future, currently finds himself boxed into a tight corner.
Matiba was not only a respected political leader in Mt Kenya but nationally for his contribution to the constitutional dispensation and leadership credentials in the country.
Ndindi had emerged as a possible heir apparent to Matiba and was already endearing himself not only to Mt Kenya but nationally through his brand of politics.
But last Thursday, the skipping of the National Assembly vote on the Finance Bill, of which he had become vocal, abruptly pushed him into a tight political spot which threatens to consume him.
According to former Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, in his recent tweet, said Ndindi finds himself where he could:
“Either you are finished completely or you are completely finished.”
Kuria said Ndindi found himself at the exact place where former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and the self-declared leader of Mt Kenya wanted him to be – at his mercy.
He wrote on X handle: “My brother Ndindi Nyoro, I warned you, Rigathi will finish you. He has you where he wanted. Today even saying Wantam will not save you unless you limit your ambitions to being organising secretary of DCP Kiharu branch and your boss will be one Kifeeti. Either you are finished completely or you are completely finished. What a sad day for our modern Matiba. Pole sana. At least I warned you.”
The pregnant tweet shows the gravity of the matter and the dark political clouds hovering over the head of the Kiharu MP.
This could partly explain why Ndindi invited the media for a press briefing last Saturday where he apologised to Kenyans over skipping the Finance Bill vote.
Nyoro said some of his political opponents were using the matter to advance their own political interests but he would not be deterred in his political move.
“I want to take this very first opportunity to apologise to Kenyans for the disappointment I caused them last week during the Finance Bill vote on Thursday of last week. It is not the way I do things. Nlikosea hapo,” he said.
He went ahead to qualify his contribution, saying: “I have been trying to do as much as possible when it comes to governance in this country and also, especially anything to do with public finances.”
Ndindi did not stop at the apology; he went on to say that he was not supporting the government of President William Ruto despite having campaigned for it.
“My divergent view was one of the reasons why I lost my seat as the chairman of the Budget Committee. I am not on the side of the government,” he said at the conference.
But Gachagua had posted on his social media platforms that the Finance Bill vote would determine the political battle line.
“Today’s vote at the National Assembly for or against the 2026 Finance Bill is a defining moment for the people of the Republic of Kenya. At the end of the day, the people of Kenya will know whether their elected representative supports measures that oppress them more or cares for them.”
Gachagua had directed MPs from Mt Kenya allied to his DCP party to vote against the Finance Bill 2026 and stay in the House to force a division.
“The people of Kenya must know who was for or against them. Those members who keep away from the vote and sit on the fence must be deemed to be against the people of Kenya,” he said.
He said there was no neutral position when the welfare of the people of Kenya was at stake, and the MPs were either for the people of Kenya or against them.
Ndindi explained why he skipped the vote, saying he had travelled out of the country on the eve of the vote.
He wrote on his social media platforms, firstly seeking peace and requesting room to be understood.
“Wadosi Wakenya Wote, I come in peace and humility. The vote for the Finance Bill happened yesterday; disappointingly, I was not in Parliament. I travelled out of the country on Wednesday evening for engagements that could not have been postponed. But no explanation should absolve the blame,” he wrote.
He said the feedback would be a milestone in helping serve the country and that nobody was perfect.
“As human as we are, we are far from being perfect, and we will always seek to learn from the feedback we receive. As for the feedback we have received from all Kenyans, we take it with humility. All the feedback will go a long way in making us better as we discharge our duties in Parliament and outside in service to the great people of Kenya,” he wrote.
Reflections
Ndindi requested Kenyans for three to four weeks for reflection before he could give his next political move.
He denied claims that he could be a mole, saying he has been critical of President Ruto’s regime on various economic issues.
“I ask Kenyans to give me between three and four weeks to announce the political direction I intend to take after months of reflection on the country’s future and leadership,” he said.
Stay strong
In Kuria’s earlier post, he told Ndindi to remain focused and not fall to Gachagua’s butcher’s knife.
“To my brother Ndindi Nyoro, now the self-righteous cult has come with their daggers drawn for you. They say you let them down on the Finance Bill. They now want to extinguish your political career,” he wrote.
Kuria said on several occasions he had warned Ndindi to be wary of Gachagua’s schemes to be the sole political leader in Mt Kenya.
“I have warned you many times that Rigathi Gachagua will not rest until he extinguishes all other political actors in the Mt Kenya region. Relax, brother, you and I will not be the losers; sadly, it is our people. Keep your focus, and one day you will finish the journey that brave Matiba did not finish but General Mwai Kibaki accomplished,” he wrote.
For the next three weeks, Kenyans will be watching as Ndindi carries his cross and redeems his political career.
