“Even Good Doctors Lose Patients”: Ndii Breaks Silence on Koko’s Exit from Kenya

President William Ruto’s chief economic adviser David Ndii has defended the government following the sudden closure of clean-energy firm Koko Networks in Kenya, saying the collapse was driven by complex global and local factors.

Koko, a venture-backed technology company, had been operating across East Africa, supplying ethanol-based cooking fuel and smart cookstoves designed to provide affordable and clean energy to households. Thousands of Kenyans relied on the firm for both cooking solutions and employment.

However, the company shut down its Kenyan operations last week after a dispute with the government over the sale and regulation of carbon credits, which form a major part of Koko’s business model.

Responding to criticism and concerns over the shutdown, Ndii said the situation was not as simple as blaming government policy. He explained that several forces came together to weaken the company’s position.

“Koko’s case is uniquely multidimensional,” Ndii said. “It involves the Paris Agreement, the credibility of cookstove carbon credits, our investor-unfriendly NDC regime and carbon market regulations, the transparency of Koko’s business model, and even diplomatic interference.”

His comments suggest that both international climate financing rules and Kenya’s domestic regulatory framework played a role in pushing the company out of the market.

Many Kenyans had urged the government to step in and rescue the company, noting that Koko provided cleaner cooking alternatives and created jobs in urban areas. But Ndii appeared to dismiss the possibility of any late intervention.

“Too late. Even good doctors lose patients,” he wrote on social media, indicating that the damage had already been done.

The shutdown has also raised questions about Kenya’s investment climate, especially in green technology and carbon markets. According to Business Daily, Koko had previously signed an agreement with the World Bank’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, which could force the Kenyan government to compensate investors if state actions are found to have interfered with the company’s operations.

As debates continue, Koko’s exit has become a major test for Kenya’s climate-focused investments and the future of carbon-based financing in the country.