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Tuesday, 13 October 2026
Kenya’s news, on the hour · Est. 2026
Tuesday, 13 October 2026
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Kenyan press · Person

Okiya Omtatah

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.

2026-04-302026-10-13

In coverage

Verbatim sentences from the source article.

  1. June 2026
  2. Capital News

    NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 29-Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has raised concerns over what he describes as a growing pattern of delayed salary payments across county governments. …

    Omtatah Says Recurring County Salary Delays Expose Systemic Failures
  3. The Standard

    Audio By Vocalize A three-judge High Court bench has dismissed Attorney General Dorcas Oduor’s bid to strike out Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah's petition challenging the legality and constitutionality of Kenya's Sh7 trillion public debts. …

    Court rejects AG's bid to dismiss Kenya's sh 7 trillion 'Odious debt' case
  4. Citizen Digital

    Kenya's public debt case set for full hearing, High Court rules By Brian Kimani June 25, 2026 07:47 (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 Omtatah has welcomed a High Court ru …

    Kenya's public debt case set for full hearing after Court rejects Attorney General petition
  5. The Standard

    … The petition was filed by seven people, including Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah, Nakuru surgeon Dr Magare Gikenyi and activist Laban Omusundi. …

    Double blow as case on lawyers-government legal service engagement is delayed
  6. Citizen Digital

    Omtatah demands Senate probe into Affordable Housing Projects flagged by Auditor-General By Brian Kimani June 06, 2026 04:18 (EAT) Add as a Preferred Source on Google Follow us Follow on Whatsapp Follow on Google Follow on Twitter Senator Okiya Omtatah speaks to Busia residents o …

    Omtatah demands Senate probe into Affordable Housing Projects flagged by Auditor-General
  7. Citizen Digital

    … The company further submits that the petitioners, Senator Okiya Omtatah and others have failed to produce credible evidence showing any actual or imminent violation of constitutional rights. …

    Chinese contractor warns stopping Riruta–Ngong railway project will burden taxpayers
  8. May 2026
  9. The Standard

    Senator Okiya Omtatah has petitioned the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) seeking the removal of three Court of Appeal judges, accusing them of clearing the way for the implementation of the controversial Sh208 million Kenya–US health cooperation deal. …

    Omtatah seeks removal of three judges over US health deal ruling
  10. Capital News

    NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 – Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has petitioned the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) to investigate three Court of Appeal judges over their decision to suspend High Court orders blocking the Kenya-US Health Cooperation Framework, while allegedly withholding r …

    Omtatah seeks JSC Probe Into Appealate Judges Delayed Ruling reasons in Kenya–US Health Case
  11. The Standard

    Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah speaks after the court halted construction of the Southlands affordable housing project in Lang’ata. …

    Court halts Lang'ata affordable housing project, quashes NEMA licence
  12. The Standard

    … The equaling of anything the government does to be in the public interest is the basis of the sin.In this dispute, Senator Okiya Omtatah raised serious constitutional concerns. …

    Court of Appeal deserves criticism over decision on Kenya-US health deal case

Sunday 11 October

  1. Senator Omtatah petitions court to block IEBC ballot security changes

    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 →

Friday 9 October

  1. Omtatah calls for transparency and accountability in public borrowing

    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 →

Tuesday 6 October

  1. Busia Senator appeals High Court ruling on presidential ballot verification

    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 →

Sunday 4 October

  1. SHA finances under scrutiny as governance concerns mount

    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 →

Thursday 24 September

  1. People's Coalition to appeal national tallying centre ruling

    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 →

  2. Electoral commission credibility crisis ahead of 2027 polls

    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 →

Wednesday 23 September

  1. MP Omondi to table bill limiting IEBC powers, removing national tallying centre

    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 →

Tuesday 22 September

  1. High Court upholds national tallying of presidential election results

    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 →

  2. High Court upholds national presidential election result tallying

    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 →

  3. Senate committee questions Kilifi industrial park feasibility assessment

    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 →

Thursday 17 September

  1. Omtatah pushes IEBC to adopt full electronic voting system

    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 →

Saturday 12 September

  1. Auditor-General seeks Court of Appeal stay on debt case

    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 →

Thursday 10 September

  1. Senator Omtatah suspended three sittings over Ruto remarks

    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 →

  2. Omtatah ejected from Senate, barred three days for Ruto remarks

    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 →

  3. Senate suspends Omtatah for three days over presidential remark

    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 →

  4. Omtatah vows to continue challenging government after Senate suspension

    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 →

Tuesday 8 September

  1. Senator Omtatah seeks court order to halt Affordable Housing payments

    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 →

Monday 7 September

  1. Bungoma governor hopefuls build visibility ahead of 2027 race

    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 →

Saturday 5 September

  1. Sifuna condemns abduction of Standard Group Associate Editor

    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 →

Monday 31 August

  1. Senator Okiya Omtatah's sister Mary Goretti Wamukoya dies

    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 →

Friday 28 August

  1. Busia Senator seeks details on KNEC exam materials procurement

    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 →

Tuesday 25 August

  1. Speaker Wetangula exposes politicization of teacher recruitment system

    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 →

Sunday 16 August

  1. Rural electrification expands to 200 households in Busia county

    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 →

Saturday 8 August

  1. Omtatah challenges conflicting High Court rulings on election timing

    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 →

Friday 7 August

  1. Kalonzo overtakes Sifuna in WANTAM opposition flag bearer vote

    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 →

Tuesday 4 August

  1. Constitutional petition challenges SHA's two percent HIMS fee

    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 →

Friday 24 July

  1. Ruto leads 2027 race with 24 percent; Sifuna rises in opposition

    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 →

Monday 20 July

  1. American activist warns Kenya against US health strategy

    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 →

Saturday 18 July

  1. Senator questions three-year delay in appointing KEMRI director general

    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 →

  2. High Court nullifies Sh11.5b Riruta-Ngong railway project, orders fresh tender

    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 →

Okiya Omtatah — Kenyan press coverage · Kenya Minute