Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has officially withdrawn a legal petition he filed in 2015 against former President Uhuru Kenyatta and current President William Ruto. The petition, which has been in court for nearly ten years, focused on the handling of Eurobond proceeds.
Omtatah had accused the two leaders of overseeing the illegal movement of billions of shillings raised through the Eurobond into offshore accounts. According to the case, these funds were not deposited into the Consolidated Fund as required by law, which he argued violated the Public Finance Management Act and the Constitution.
His decision to withdraw the case has raised questions, especially because it had become a symbol of the fight against high-level corruption and misuse of public funds. However, Omtatah explained that the legal process had been bogged down by endless technical objections. He said that the way the case stood now made it almost impossible to proceed.
Despite the withdrawal, he made it clear that this does not mean he is giving up. Instead, he plans to refile a stronger case that avoids the legal issues that have caused delays.This move is not surprising given Omtatah’s recent comments about Kenya’s public debt.
He has argued that the current debt, which is estimated to be around Ksh11 trillion, is illegitimate. He believes that changes made to the Public Finance Management Act back in 2014 were unconstitutional.
Those changes, according to him, removed Parliament’s power especially that of the Senate to properly oversee how the government borrows money. By weakening these checks and balances, Omtatah claims that borrowing has gone out of control without proper scrutiny.
The Treasury, on the other hand, disagrees with Omtatah’s view. Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi has stated that Kenya’s debt levels are still within safe limits. He also said that the government is working on reducing domestic debt.
One of the ways they plan to do this is by cutting down on short-term loans and instead using long-term financial tools. The goal, according to him, is to make the repayment of loans more manageable over time.
Omtatah’s withdrawal may appear like a setback to some, but his commitment to returning with a stronger case shows that the issue of Eurobond accountability is far from over.
The controversy also adds weight to the growing concern over Kenya’s rising debt and how public money is being managed by those in power.
