Busia Senator and human rights activist Okiya Omtatah has made serious allegations against both President William Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, claiming they were involved in looting public funds amounting to Ksh7 trillion.
According to Omtatah, this massive theft goes against the laws of the country and shows a deep disregard for the Constitution.
Speaking during an interview on K24 on Thursday morning, Omtatah accused President Ruto of disregarding Parliament’s role in major financial decisions like public borrowing.
He argued that the Head of State has been striking financial deals without seeking approval from Parliament, which is mandated by the Constitution to oversee such matters.
Omtatah said this has turned the presidency into a personal project where the president runs the country from his own pocket without following the legal budgetary process.
The Senator warned that Kenyans should be deeply concerned about the level of corruption and legal violations that have been committed by both the current and former presidents. He said the Ksh7 trillion lost under their leadership must be accounted for.
“Uhuru Kenyatta was directly involved in the massive theft. Both he and Ruto stole public funds, and I have calculated the amount to be about Ksh7 trillion. The former president must explain where that money went,” Omtatah said. He further claimed, “President Ruto is out of control.
He’s making strange and reckless decisions, and it’s as if he is running the country like his own personal business. The national budget no longer seems to matter to him.”
Omtatah also criticized Ruto’s recent remarks where the president pledged to transform Kenya at any cost.
According to Omtatah, such statements are dangerous and could lead to instability. He also took issue with another of Ruto’s remarks where the president said he would never hand over power to people without a clear agenda. Omtatah warned that such words are divisive and could lead the country into chaos.
“I believe Ruto must be stopped. His actions seem to suggest that he is on a path to destroy this country. He’s borrowing money recklessly, without observing the legal process.
When you look at the law, especially Article 211 of the Constitution and Section 50 of the Public Finance Management Act, it clearly says that Parliament must approve all public borrowing. Yet the president continues to bypass these rules,” Omtatah said.
The Constitution gives Parliament the sole power to authorize any public debt, while the Treasury is legally required to disclose all terms of borrowing and how the money will be used. If borrowing is done outside these legal procedures, it is considered illegal and unconstitutional.
In a related legal move, the High Court on April 26 directed Omtatah to officially serve former President Uhuru Kenyatta and other senior government officials with a petition that seeks to hold them accountable for Kenya’s growing debt crisis.
This court order came after Omtatah and eight other petitioners filed a lawsuit aimed at forcing the former president and top government officials to answer questions about the country’s huge debt burden.
The petition is calling for legal responsibility from high-ranking individuals who played a role in managing public finances during the periods of heavy borrowing.
The list of those named in the petition includes Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor, Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o, Auditor General Nancy Gathungu, and Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo.
Other former senior officials who have also been named as respondents in the case are former Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo, former Auditor General Edward Ouko, former Attorney General Githu Muigai, and former Treasury Cabinet Secretary Henry Rotich, along with former Treasury Principal Secretary Kamau Thugge.
Omtatah insists that all those who were involved in the mismanagement and unauthorized borrowing of public funds must face the law and be held accountable for pushing the country into deeper debt.
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