Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) member leader Irungu Nyakera, has broken his silence on the revocation of his appointment to the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) raising fresh questions about internal power struggles and loyalty politics within President Ruto’s camp.

Speaking in an interview on a local TV station on, Monday, June 2, 2025, Nyakera, who has been largely quiet since his surprise removal, directly linked the revocation of his KEMSA appointment to his refusal to dissolve his party and fully merge with other Kenya Kwanza affiliates.

He described the pressure he faced behind closed doors after Ruto’s victory in 2022.

“I was very categorical there’s absolutely no way we’re going to dissolve Focus Party,” Nyakera said.

“And I was told that there’s a bit of movement for me, should we do solo parties. I remember asking them: what was it? Which parties given CSs and PSs dissolved? If I have to dissolve mine to be appointed?”

He revealed that his stance may have irritated top government figures, but he remained defiant.

Nyakera KEMSA conundrum

“They came to the office after that to discuss dissolving parties. For me, it was not negotiable.”

Nyakera said that his removal from the KEMSA board raised eyebrows given that he had just begun implementing changes within the troubled medical supplier. But he believes his past confrontations with the government also played a part.

A particularly sore point, he said, was his successful legal action to block the controversial government plan to lease land in Zambia for maize farming.

“I went to court with Farmers Party and got an injunction stopping the government from going to Zambia,” he said.

“Then the next week is when the President called me to appoint me to KEMSA as chairperson. Coincidence? I doubt it.”

Though his appointment was revoked shortly thereafter, Nyakera maintained that his critical stance on policy especially around debt, health reform, and pending bills never changed, even when serving in government did not change.

“Even when I was in government, I spoke about the issues of debt and how accumulating more debt will actually lead us to a crisis. I talked about pending bills, which are killing business people working with government,” he said. “Even on healthcare, the SHA [Social Health Authority], I still say it’s not working. I’m yet to understand what they mean when they claim it is.”

Despite accepting the KEMSA role, Nyakera argued that his presence in government did not mean he had to mute his criticisms.

“Where necessary, I spoke out,” he said. “Especially on issues not directly in my docket. On health, yes, I was part of the Ministry, so I addressed matters through the internal systems—through my minister, the PS. But on broader national matters, I had to speak.”

UDA political vet waning?

He further claimed that since the formation of the government, the Kenya Kwanza principals of which he is out have not met as a coalition to evaluate promises made to Kenyans.

“The leaders of Kenya Kwanza have never really met to discuss the promises that we made and their realisation. It’s like everyone just went silent,” he said.

“We actually demanded for a meeting, and when it happened, the agenda was to dissolve our parties. That’s when I asked are we part of this government, or are we not?”

On the accusation that some small parties were only used to lend legitimacy and grassroots appeal to Ruto’s campaign, Nyakera said that he did not want to look as someone who is absconding responsibilities.

“They’ll tell you, ‘You are small parties, you are individuals.’ But we were part of the pre-election coalition—the one that actually gets you elected,” he argued. “We had the President’s image on our billboards. I personally held thousands of meetings to campaign for him,” he asserted.

Asked about his brief tenure at KICC before the KEMSA appointment, Nyakera was forthright in admitting it was not a good fit.

 “I didn’t feel I was suited for it. Others were better suited. It’s a convention centre, a building. I felt I could add more value elsewhere,” he said.

And when asked why he didn’t resign from government, he offered a nuanced perspective.

 “In government, you don’t really resign. You just decline an appointment respectfully,” he said. “I look at KICC and I’m not sure what value I could add there. I said, ‘I can add more value on the KEMSA board by doing this and that.’ I’m however open to future opportunities to serve.”