David Ndii is no ordinary radical political strategist. He is logical and drives his point home through facts and figures. After all, he is a distinguished academic and is not shy to flash his credentials. On his Twitter handle, he describes himself as an economist and public intellectual.
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But Ndii is not just blowing his own trumpet. Richtopia, a free digital platform providing content on finance and economics, ranks him 30th among the 100 most influential economists globally. But that’s not all. Ndii was a first class student in economics at the University of Nairobi way back in 1988. He immediately enrolled for a Master’s programme and graduated in 1990. By 1994, Ndii had completed another Master’s degree, at the prestigious Oxford University, before proceeding to secure his PhD from the same University in 1998.
He is the founding director of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA Kenya), a leading policy think tank institution currently headed by Kwame Owino.
In the early 90s, Ndii worked closely with Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o, then MP for Kisumu Rural, and other intellectuals, among them the economist Robert Shaw, to come up with the “Post-Election Programme of Action”. The document identified key economic policy priorities of the time. But, as expected, the then Kanu regime trashed it.
In 2003, when NARC rode to power, Nyong'o, who was named minister for Planning, tagged along Ndii as economic adviser. His team produced the Economic Recovery Strategy for Wealth and Employment Creation that is believed to have had a hugely positive influence on the Kibaki administration.
“When Raila and Anyang’ and all the people were called the Young Turks, we were the intellectual youth-wingers of the time,” Ndii told NASA TV, an online service, a week ago before his dramatic arrest.
But following the 2005 referendum, Nyong'o and Raila's LDP wing was sacked from government, and out went Ndii.
In March, 2016, he changed his subject from eurobond to secession. His article headlined “Kenya is a cruel marriage, it’s time we talk divorce” drew the ire of the state, with Jubilee sympathisers calling for his arrest.
But does he ever fear for his life?
“I have had that conversation with my mother about personal safety, including last week,” he said last week.
“My friend Gakuru, he was pro-government, he met his death in an accident. Nkaisserry, he was threatening us, he went before us. You will die, when your day comes. Not a day before, not a day later.”