Omtatah Files Petition Against Ruto and Kenyatta over Public Debt
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has stirred national discourse following his bold declaration that Kenya does not owe any public debt—a position he amplified just days after filing a high-profile petition against President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The petition challenges the constitutional legitimacy of the country’s current debt burden and raises serious concerns about transparency in public finance management.
Speaking at a Bunge la Wananchi forum held on Saturday, April 19, Omtatah, who has recently emerged as a formidable critic of the Kenya Kwanza administration, questioned the authenticity of the public debt figures frequently cited by government officials and the media.
His remarks were met with both applause and skepticism from the public, further fueling a long-standing national debate on Kenya’s fiscal health.
“I want to say here today, Kenya, we do not have any debt. We have paid all the dues, but they keep saying we are in debt,” Omtatah told the audience. He challenged officials to provide a detailed and transparent account of the alleged debt. “We want to know about this money which they keep saying we owe. The individuals involved need to tell us the business they were indulging in with this debt.”
This public statement echoes sentiments the Senator shared earlier on social media, where he condemned what he described as an unconstitutional amendment to the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act in 2014.
According to Omtatah, the amendment was passed without involving the Senate, a clear violation of Article 110 of the Constitution, which requires Senate participation in legislation affecting counties.
Omtatah alleges that the 2014 amendment granted sweeping powers to Treasury officials, enabling them to open foreign accounts and enter into loan agreements without adequate public or parliamentary oversight.
He insists that this lack of transparency and accountability has contributed to what he terms as “illegitimate debt.”
Despite Omtatah’s bold claims, official data tells a different story. According to the National Treasury, Kenya’s public debt currently stands at approximately Ksh11 trillion.
Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has acknowledged the scale of the debt but maintains that it remains within manageable levels. He also emphasized the government’s long-term strategy to reduce the debt-to-GDP ratio from the current 58.1 percent to 52.8 percent by the 2027/28 financial year.
CS Mbadi recently pushed back against remarks made by Kiharu MP Ndindi Nyoro, who claimed that Kenya is on the verge of defaulting on its international obligations.
In a sharp rebuttal, Mbadi defended the country’s fiscal position and reaffirmed the government’s goal of achieving debt sustainability by the year 2032.
“Let me conclude and plead that as leaders, we need to be cautious. I listened to one of us argue that this country is likely to be taken to peril. That is an irresponsible statement, and it should not come from someone who has chaired the Budget and Appropriation Committee,” Mbadi stated.
Omtatah, however, has remained steadfast. In his petition filed in court, he names both President Ruto and his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta as respondents.
He argues that successive administrations have burdened Kenyans with what he terms as “phantom debt”—obligations that, in his view, were acquired outside the framework of the Constitution and without clear benefit to the citizenry.
He further argues that the responsibility for repaying these debts should not fall on the taxpayers. “This is about safeguarding Kenya’s future. We’re building a new era of transparency together, demanding honesty and accountability in leadership, for the good of every Kenyan,” Omtatah said upon releasing a 22-page summary of his legal petition on April 15.
The Senator’s bold stance has reignited discussions on public finance oversight, the role of Parliament, and the need for transparent debt acquisition processes. Civil society groups and economic analysts are closely following the case, with some praising Omtatah’s courage while others caution against populist rhetoric that could undermine investor confidence.
As the petition makes its way through the courts, the debate is likely to intensify.
For now, Senator Omtatah has placed an uncomfortable but necessary spotlight on one of the country’s most pressing economic issues—how public debt is acquired, managed, and justified to the people it ultimately affects.
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Omtatah Files Petition Against Ruto and Kenyatta over Public Debt
