Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro has admitted that he regrets failing to read the mood of the country during the 2024 Finance Bill protests.

Speaking during an interview with a local media station on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, the outspoken former Budget Committee chairman, who strongly supported the controversial Finance Bill 2024 that triggered nationwide protests, said the events served as a major reset in his leadership journey.

“I started by saying this in terms of 2024: that it was a reset for me as a leader. The bigger responsibility that I take and regret, and the learning and the lesson, is that when you are elected as a leader, in the highest office or as an MP, never think that your considered opinion is more important than the collective intelligence of the people,” Nyoro said.

Lessons to elected leaders

Nyoro stated that one of the biggest lessons he learned was that elected leaders should never assume their personal opinions are more important than the collective intelligence of the people.

He acknowledged that the outcome witnessed during the protests was regrettable.

“We were not able to read the mood of Kenya. We were not able to read that Kenyans never wanted anything about that, that, that process, and, regrettably, it reached the kind of hate it had to reach,” he added

Despite expressing regret over the situation, the Kiharu MP defended parts of his tenure as Budget Committee chair, saying he remains proud of some of the decisions made under his leadership.

JSS confirmation

He revealed that during the protests, leaders handling budget matters in Parliament held discussions on several issues, including the confirmation of Junior Secondary School (JSS) teachers.

According to Nyoro, many leaders were opposed to confirming the teachers at the time because protests were ongoing across the country.

However, he said he argued that many of the young people demonstrating were doing so because they needed jobs and opportunities.

He added that he felt obligated to address that gap and expressed satisfaction that he managed to push through the confirmation of JSS teachers despite resistance from some quarters.