Parliament's Role In Fostering Ruto Dictatorship: Irungu Nyakera

Former Kenya International Conference Centre (KICC) chairperson Irungu Nyakera is sounding the alarm, claiming that Kenya could end up under authoritarian rule due to what he sees as a weak and ineffective Parliament under President William Ruto.

In a statement on Wednesday, April 16, he criticised the growing assaults on the Judiciary, calling it the last functioning branch of government.

"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," he stated.

He was responding to the cover page of the Daily Nation newspaper dated Wednesday, April 16, which is titled 'Ruto's String of Court Losses'.

Nyakera claimed Parliament has completely fallen off when it comes to keeping the Executive in check, saying most MPs have turned into mouthpieces for President Ruto’s administration.

He called them out for staying quiet on a bunch of controversial issues — including the sketchy Adani deal, the housing levy, fuel importation arrangements, e-Citizen ownership, and the eTA Swiss deal, where public funds were allegedly funneled into a Swiss bank.

"Meanwhile, Parliament has surrendered its oversight role to the executive, with MPs becoming its mouthpieces. They remained silent on the shady Adani deal, housing levy scam, fuel importation monopoly, e-citizen ownership, e-visa Swiss partner, among other corruption-laden deals," he continued.

On Monday, April 14, the government had to issue a statement in response to a shocking Daily Nation report, which claimed that billions of shillings collected from foreign travellers entering Kenya were improperly funnelled into Swiss bank accounts.

According to the exposé, Ksh6.5 billion generated through the Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) system was suspiciously redirected to a Swiss account — a move the publication likened to the controversial 2014 Eurobond scandal.

Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura explained that the transactions involving the Swiss account were part of a pilot phase of the eTA programme, aimed at strengthening the government’s strategic collaboration with the Swiss firm involved.

Meanwhile, Nyakera expressed fear that the upcoming Finance Bill 2025, claiming that it would be passed under duress and not fairly.

"Now, with the Finance Bill 2025 looming, Kenyans fear it will pass not through merit but through coercion and bribery," he prophesied.

Further warning that "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."