Former Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) chairman Irungu Nyakera has warned that Kenya is at risk of being ruled by force because of what he terms Parliament's incompetence under President William Ruto.
In a statement on Wednesday, April 16, he spoke out against increasing attacks on the judiciary, saying that it is the only arm of the government still standing.
“For Kenya to work, all three arms of government must function independently. If Parliament remains captured, Kenya risks being ruled by force and not by law,” Nyakera warned.
“The reason you have been seeing so much activism against the judiciary is because it is the last line of defence for Kenyans, and the executive has been unable to penetrate it!”
“Over the past year alone, the courts have blocked at least 11 unconstitutional and potentially harmful policies by the executive,” Nyakera said.
Nyakera made the statement in response to the cover page of the Daily Nation newspaper dated Wednesday, April 16, which is titled 'Ruto's String of Court Losses'.
He said Parliament has failed to stand up to the Executive branch and instead, many Members of Parliament (MPs) have become messengers of President William Ruto's government.
He blamed the Parliament for being silent on the shady Adani deal, the housing levy, the fuel importation deals, e-Citizen ownership, and the eTA Swiss deal that saw public money allegedly diverted to a Swiss bank.
“Meanwhile, the Parliament has surrendered its oversight role to the Executive, with MPs becoming its mouthpieces," Nyakera asserted.
"They remained silent on the shady Adani deal, housing levy scam, fuel importation monopoly, e-Citizen ownership, e-visa Swiss partner, among other graft-laden deals,” he added.
On April 14, the government issued a clarification following a report by Daily Nation on Monday, April 14, alleging that billions of shillings in revenue collected from foreigners travelling to the country were unscrupulously diverted into Swiss accounts.
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura clarified that the Swiss transactions were part of a piloting phase of the ETA programme as part of the government's plans to improve strategic partnerships with the Swiss firm.
Nyakera also expressed concern about the upcoming Finance Bill 2025, saying that Kenyans fear that the Finance Bill will not be passed based on fairness but through pressure.
“Now, with the Finance Bill 2025 looming, Kenyans fear it will pass not through merit but through coercion and bribery,” he said.
He urged that for the country to run properly, the executive, Parliament and the judiciary must work independently.
