Economist Dr David Ndii while responding to a question from a Twitter user as to whether he is involved in graft said, "Absolutely. I bribe... I am a regular Kenyan."
The renowned economic advisor was explaining to fellow tweeps as to why Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is the most popular party in the country.
"UDA is the face of Kenya, and Kenya is as corrupt as sin. The first step towards recovery from addition is acceptance. That is why @UDAKenya is the most popular party in Kenya," tweeted Ndii which sparked the question from twitter user Bernard Lewella
This confession comes only days after a rumour started circulating on social media that Ndii had resigned from Ruto’s team, dealing a blow to the deputy president’s campaign.
“David Ndii, the economist who coined the bottom up model for the DP has resigned as his advisor,” reads one message on Facebook.
“This comes after much reflection and evaluation of the kind of person the DP is... They say a tiger never changes its stripes. Ndii just realized that,” wrote Mercy Nyambura.
The message includes a document titled “Open Letter to the Deputy President William Ruto.” Seemingly signed by Ndii, it places labels associated with graft and dishonesty on the UDA party.
“Following a sequence of personal reflection and thought-provoking reviews, I wish to tender my resignation as your economic advisor,” the letter read.
“Having originated the concept of bottom-up economic model, which seeks to uplift the proletariats, which was also in the NASA 2017 campaigns, I have come to realize that my position as UDA's economic strategist is untenable...”
On the day the letter appeared, Ndii immediately denied that he had written it. “This is the only open letter I have written recently,” he tweeted on his verified Twitter account.
He attached a five-page open letter he had written to president Uhuru Kenyatta in March 2020, advising him to take urgent steps to protect Kenyans against the Covid-19 pandemic.
The letter was originally published on March 25 2020 in the Elephant, a political news and debate website, days after the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Kenya.