Ruto's shake-up continues as KICC boss Nyakera dismissed

President William Ruto has dismissed the Kenya International Convention Centre (KICC) Chairman, Irungu Nyakera, just seven months after his appointment.

With this revocation, Nyakera becomes yet another Kenya Kwanza principal shown the door, following the dismissal of Justin Muturi just a week earlier. This also comes a week before the Farmers Party’s expected decision to quit Kenya Kwanza, citing their ideologies no longer aligning with those of the coalition, making their continued stay untenable.

“It is unfortunate that the Kenya Kwanza administration is prioritising politically correct leaders to head government institutions over competence. When I was given the mandate to head both the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) and KICC, there were no questions about incompetence, corruption, or mismanagement, yet I have been dismissed,” he told The Standard.

Before his appointment in August last year, Nyakera served as the Chairman of the KEMSA board, a role he was removed from, with former Narok Governor Samuel Tunai appointed in his place.

Ruto appointed Samuel Waweru Mwangi as the new KICC Chairman, with a three-year tenure, effective from this month.

Shortly after receiving the notification, Nyakera took to his social media pages, where he is known for voicing his opinions on government and political matters, to react to the turn of events.

“I feel special to be fired through a special issue. They could not wait until Friday,” he wrote.

Nyakera also told The Standard that he believes his dismissal is linked to a Facebook post he made about President William Ruto’s trip to Mt Kenya.

“I believe my dismissal is related to a Facebook post I made last week, urging leaders to focus on development rather than politics during President William Ruto's visit to Mt Kenya,” he said.

In the post, Nyakera explained that he would not be attending the President’s visit to Mt Kenya because he was still studying at Oxford University. He went on to share his message with the people and leaders of the region, emphasising that in the last election, Mt Kenya voted for development, which comes through the Office of the President.

“When he visits next week, let our focus be on that development—not on politics. History has taught us harsh lessons. When Mzee Jomo Kenyatta visited Kisumu with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and was received with hostility, development in that region came to a halt for decades. Similarly, in President Uhuru’s final term, Mt Kenya suffered because we allowed politics to override cooperation and watched development bypass us,” he said in the post.

He urged the region not to repeat the same mistakes, stating that the time for politics would eventually come.

“Let us not repeat the same mistakes. A time for politics will come—but it is not now, and it is certainly not next week. This is a time to engage constructively, to secure what we voted for, and to prioritise the needs of our people,” he insisted in the post.

Yesterday, he stated that it was unfortunate that any leader who supports the government cannot criticise the administration without being labelled anti-government.

“But let me state categorically that any leader who supports the government in Mt Kenya can’t criticise this administration because they will be deemed anti-government. This administration does not tolerate criticism, which is not a good sign for promoting democracy,” he added.

He said the Farmers Party, which he leads, had entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Kenya Kwanza coalition to promote democracy, health, and agriculture. However, he deemed it unfortunate that the administration had breached this shared vision, making it untenable for them to remain in the coalition. He confirmed that the relevant organs are working on the exit process.

“Despite being ousted, I will continue speaking out on the issues that Kenyans feel should be addressed. It is unfortunate that instead of some government leaders proposing punitive measures to fight corruption, they are encouraging efforts to entrench graft in our ways of life. I will continue speaking out against such vices,” he stated.

“I was appointed to serve, not to clap and cling. If anything, this moment frees me to speak without restraint against the tribalism being advanced within the broad-based government. So yes, celebrate if you must—but don’t blink,” he explained in response to a comment, which was deleted moments later, on X (formerly Twitter).