Kenya, April 15 -- Kiharu Member of Parliament and former chairperson of the National Assembly Budget Committee, Ndindi Nyoro, today expressed serious worries about how the government is managing Kenya's national debt. He accused the government of changing the numbers to make the situation look better than it really is.

During a public speech, Nyoro said that the country's debt is in a very bad state and warned that Kenya could possibly default on its loans if urgent action is not taken.

He claimed the government has been "playing around" with the numbers related to national debt, hiding the true seriousness of the problem.

"The numbers we are being shown do not show the real situation. This is a dangerous game that puts our economy at risk," he said, pointing out differences between the government reports and the actual financial problems the country is facing.

As of July 2024, Kenya's public debt was about Ksh Ksh10.6 trillion, according to data from the National Treasury. However, Nyoro mentioned recent reports showing that the Treasury did not meet its revenue goals by Ksh 172.1 billion in the last financial year.

He also talked about a forecast from Statista that predicts Kenya's national debt will increase by 48.3 billion U.S. dollars from 2024 to 2029, reaching a huge 138.34 billion U.S. dollars by the end of the decade.

"Kenya's debt situation is very serious," Nyoro warned. "If we keep going like this, we will definitely face a problem soon. The government needs to stop using false numbers and deal with the reality."

He made similar statements in November 2024, criticising the Treasury for focusing too much on spending money rather than on development, which has led to too much borrowing.

Nyoro's comments come at a time when many citizens and opposition leaders are frustrated with Kenya's growing debt and are calling for more transparency in how public money is managed.

He urged the government to set realistic goals for its finances, noting that Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo admitted that the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) has repeatedly missed its targets, falling short by Ksh35 billion in July, Ksh25 billion in August, and Ksh10 billion in September last year.

As Kenya faces economic struggles, including high inflation and a heavy reliance on borrowing, Nyoro's warnings have started a new discussion about whether the country's financial strategy is sustainable.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Bana Kenya.