Also known as: Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah · Senator Okiya Omtatah · Busia legislator
Busia Senator who petitions courts on electoral processes and public accountability, recently challenging IEBC ballot security changes and national vote tallying.
Verbatim sentences from the source article.
The Standard
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has moved to the Court of Appeal seeking to halt proceedings in Okiya Omtatah’s Sh7 trillion public debt case. …
Auditor-General asks Court of Appeal to halt Omtatah's Sh7 trillion debt caseCitizen Digital
Senator Omtatah suspended for 3 days after refusing to apologise over Ruto ‘yapping’ remarks By Edwin Obuya September 10, 2026 06:10 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Audio By Vocalize Busia Senator Okiya Omt …
Senator Omtatah suspended for 3 days after refusing to apologise over Ruto ‘yapping’ remarksCapital News
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 10 — Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah was on Thursday ejected from the Senate and barred from attending its sittings for three days after refusing to withdraw remarks describing President William Ruto as “yapping.” Omtatah protested the Speaker’s directive, arguing …
Omtatah ejected from Senate, barred for three days over Ruto ‘yapping’ remarksThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeSenate Speaker Amason Kingi has suspended Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah from the House for three sitting days after he tried to justify remarks he made against President William Ruto on Wednesday afternoon. …
Omtatah suspended from Senate over 'yapping' remarkThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeBusia Senator Okiya Omtatah has vowed to continue challenging what he considers unconstitutional actions by the government after he was suspended from the Senate for three sitting days over remarks he made about President William Ruto. …
Omtatah 'unshaken' after three-day Senate suspensionThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeBusia Senator Okiya Omtatah has moved to the High Court seeking to stop further payments under a multibillion-shilling Affordable Housing project to a private firm. …
Omtatah wants court to stop Affordable Housing payments to private firmThe Standard
… Speaking during the funeral of the sister of Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, in Bumula, Wangamati criticised what he described as poor choices in the gubernatorial race.“Bungoma people don’t gamble with this governor’s seat. …
Bungoma governor race takes shape as aspirants widen political reachThe Standard
… Speaking in Bumula Constituency, Kakamega County during the burial of Mary Goreti, the sister of Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Sifuna strongly condemned the abduction and arrest of a Standard Group Associate Editor, Alex Kiprotich, arguing that journalists must be protected if Ken …
Sifuna condemns abduction of Standard Group Associate EditorCitizen Digital
Senator Okiya Omtatah mourns death of sister Mary Goretti By Citizen Reporter August 31, 2026 05:45 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Omtatah announced the death in a tribute posted on X, describing his siste …
Senator Okiya Omtatah mourns death of sister Mary GorettiThe Standard
Audio By VocalizeBusia Senator Okiya Omtatah wants the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) to provide details concerning the procurement, contracting and printing of national examination material for this year. …
Okiya Omtatah asks KNEC to provide details on procurement of examination materialsBusia Senator Okiya Omtatah has filed a court petition to stop the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission from changing security features on ballot papers ahead of the 2027 General Election, arguing that IEBC has not shown the revised specifications will provide equivalent or better protection against electoral malpractice.
11 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has filed a court petition to stop the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission from changing security features on ballot papers ahead of the 2027 General Election, arguing that IEBC has not shown the revised specifications will provide equivalent or better protection against electoral malpractice.
11 October 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah is urging Parliament, the media, and Kenyans to demand greater accountability over public borrowing, calling for "debt justice" that ensures every shilling borrowed is traceable from approval through to how it is spent and who is held responsible for mismanagement. Kenya's public debt stood at Sh13.12 trillion (68.5 per cent of GDP) as of June 2026, with domestic debt at Sh7.78 trillion as of September 25, 2026.
9 October 2026 · The Standard →
Okiya Omtatah has filed a notice of appeal to the Court of Appeal challenging High Court Judge Gregory Mutai's rejection of a bid to scrap the presidential ballot verification and re-tallying process, citing 12 grievances including alleged errors in the judge's application of the Maina Kiai judgment and findings on the IEBC chairman's role.
6 October 2026 · The Standard →
The article criticizes President Ruto's dismissal of Deputy President Gachagua's warnings about the Social Health Authority's potential collapse, and calls for accountability over the SHA's financial management and governance.
4 October 2026 · The Standard →
The People's Coalition on Electoral Reforms said it will appeal to the Court of Appeal a ruling that upheld the legality of the national tallying centre and verification of presidential results, following a petition led by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah against the IEBC.
24 September 2026 · The Standard →
An editorial argues that former President Uhuru Kenyatta's claim that Raila Odinga won the 2022 election but had his victory stolen exposes deeper institutional dysfunction at the IEBC, which has faced decades of allegations of rigging and partisan commissioners. The piece calls for formal investigation of such claims and institutional reform to protect democratic integrity in future elections.
24 September 2026 · The Standard →
The People's Coalition on Electoral Reforms plans to table an Elections Amendment Bill in Parliament, seeking to limit the IEBC Chairperson's role to aggregating and announcing presidential results as declared at constituency tallying centres and to remove the national tallying centre. The move follows a High Court ruling that upheld the national tallying centre but barred the IEBC from altering presidential results already declared at constituency level.
23 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kenya's High Court dismissed a petition by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah challenging the constitutionality of national-level tallying and verification of presidential election results. The court upheld provisions allowing aggregation of results at the national level, finding it necessary because the Constitution requires a presidential candidate to secure more than 50 per cent of all votes cast nationally.
22 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Kenya's High Court has dismissed a challenge by Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah against the national aggregation and verification of presidential election results, ruling that the two-tier constitutional threshold — requiring a candidate to secure more than half of all votes cast and at least 25 per cent in more than half of counties — can only be established through national aggregation.
22 September 2026 · Capital News →
The Senate Committee on Trade, Industrialisation and Tourism has raised concerns over the implementation of the Sh500 million County Aggregated Industrial Park in Kilifi County, with senators questioning how the project could proceed without a prior feasibility assessment and cautioning against a uniform design model across counties.
22 September 2026 · The Standard →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah is calling for the IEBC to move to a fully electronic voting system where voters are electronically identified, vote electronically, and have results digitally counted and transmitted immediately, rather than maintaining the current hybrid system of manual ballot casting and counting with electronic result transmission.
17 September 2026 · The Standard →
Auditor-General Nancy Gathungu has moved to the Court of Appeal seeking to halt proceedings in Okiya Omtatah's Sh7 trillion public debt case.
12 September 2026 · The Standard →
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi suspended Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah for three consecutive sittings after he refused to withdraw and apologise for describing President William Ruto's roadside pronouncements as "yapping," which the Speaker deemed unparliamentary.
10 September 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah was ejected from the Senate and barred from attending sittings for three days after refusing to withdraw remarks describing President William Ruto as "yapping." Omtatah contested the Speaker's ruling, arguing the word was neither unparliamentary nor disrespectful.
10 September 2026 · Capital News →
Senate Speaker Amason Kingi suspended Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah from the House for three sitting days after he refused to withdraw remarks in which he called President William Ruto's roadside declarations "yapping," a term declared unparliamentary. Omtatah defied the Speaker's order to withdraw, instead attempting to justify the remark as a personal observation, leading to his removal from the chamber.
10 September 2026 · The Standard →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah was suspended from the Senate for three sitting days after refusing to withdraw the word "yapping" used to describe President William Ruto's roadside declaration on undocumented immigrants. Omtatah maintains the term was not unparliamentary and that withdrawing it would compromise his constitutional duty to hold those in power to account.
10 September 2026 · The Standard →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has petitioned the High Court to stop further government payments to Savola Investment Limited under the Affordable Housing project, citing an unresolved ownership dispute over the private firm and arguing that continued payments would violate constitutional provisions on public funds.
8 September 2026 · The Standard →
The race to succeed Governor Kenneth Lusaka in 2027 is taking shape as potential contenders increase visibility across the county. Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa is among those positioning themselves, recently distributing Sh5 million to 30 groups across Bungoma's 45 wards to support youth, women and older residents in starting or expanding businesses.
7 September 2026 · The Standard →
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has condemned the abduction and arrest of Standard Group Associate Editor Alex Kiprotich, accusing President Ruto's administration of undermining constitutional freedoms and creating an atmosphere of fear. Sifuna vowed that restoring democracy, media freedom and the rule of law would form the centrepiece of the Linda Mwananchi movement's challenge to President Ruto in the 2027 General Election.
5 September 2026 · The Standard →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah announced the death of his sister, Mary Goretti Wamukoya, a retired teacher who died on August 21 at Mater Hospital in Nairobi after a long illness. Omtatah paid tribute to her in a post on X, describing her as a woman of strength, kindness and wisdom devoted to her family.
31 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has asked the Kenya National Examination Council to provide details on procurement, contracting and printing of 2026 KCSE, KJSEA and KPSEA examination materials, including the tendering method used, bidders, evaluation criteria and successful contractors.
28 August 2026 · The Standard →
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula publicly condemned MPs who allegedly demand as much as Ksh.400,000 from parents in exchange for Teachers Service Commission appointment letters, describing the practice as immoral. Wetangula's remarks clarified that the State House has political control over Kenya's teacher recruitment system, though he did not name specific MPs or provide details of the recruitment exercise in question.
25 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Two hundred households in Lugulu village, Butula Constituency have been connected to electricity following the commissioning of a rural electrification project by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei. The Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation has allocated Ksh6.83 billion for electricity projects targeting about 93,000 households across four counties in Western Kenya.
16 August 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has questioned what he describes as conflicting High Court interpretations of Kenya's constitutional election timeline. He revisited a 2018 petition arguing the 2022 election should have been held in August 2021 rather than August 2022, citing recent divergent Malindi High Court rulings on Article 136(2)(a).
8 August 2026 · Capital News →
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka has taken a 5.6-point lead over Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in the WANTAM online opposition flag bearer vote for the 2027 election, reversing an earlier double-digit deficit. The first round of voting closes ahead of an August 23 debate featuring the top five contenders.
7 August 2026 · Capital News →
A constitutional petition filed at the High Court seeks to suspend the Social Health Authority's two percent Health Information Management System utilization fee deducted from healthcare providers' claims, with petitioners arguing the levy lacks legal basis and amounts to double taxation.
4 August 2026 · Capital News →
According to a TIFA Research opinion poll, President William Ruto holds 24 percent support in the 2027 presidential race, while opposition backing is divided. Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has emerged as the fastest-rising opposition contender, climbing from virtually no measurable support in 2025 to 15 percent in June 2026, ahead of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i (14 percent) and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka (13 percent).
24 July 2026 · Capital News →
Visiting American activist Ayo Kimathi urged Kenya and other African nations to reject Washington's America First Global Health Strategy, claiming it is part of a wider agenda to depopulate the Global South and describing it as one of the greatest threats to African survival in the 21st century.
20 July 2026 · Citizen Digital →
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has questioned KEMRI's prolonged delay in appointing a substantive Director General, noting the institution has operated under acting leadership since 2022. He has formally sought a response from the Senate Committee on Health, arguing that stable leadership is essential for an institution charged with safeguarding public health and advancing medical research.
18 July 2026 · Capital News →
Kenya's High Court declared the Sh11.5 billion Riruta-Ngong Commuter Meter Gauge Railway Project unconstitutional, citing violations of parliamentary approval, feasibility studies, lawful procurement, and public participation requirements. Justice Gregory Mutai also ruled that the use of the Railway Development Levy Fund to finance the project was unconstitutional and void.
18 July 2026 · The Standard →