Okiya Omtatah Reveals First Plan if Elected President in 2027
An imperial president is nothing but a relic of the past. It’s an arrangement where the head of state has money and Executive authority,” Omtatah added.
Elucidating his vision, Omtatah stated that money should be managed by Parliament and not the Executive. Photo/ Citizen Digital
By Juliet Jerotich
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has outlined his dream for Kenya in case he becomes president in the 2027 General Election.
During his appearance on Citizen TV’s The Explainer Show on Tuesday evening, Omtatah stated that his first 100 days as president would be dedicated to dismantling what he described as the “imperial presidency.” He vowed to restore constitutional order, especially in the handling of public finances.
Using as his guide the Swahili version of the national anthem, Omtatah declared that his chief assignment would be to fully enact the Constitution.
He grounded his strategy in Article 225(1), under which an independent Treasury, divorced from the Executive, can be established. His initial action, he declared, would be to shatter the hold of the presidency on fiscal power.
An imperial president is nothing but a relic of the past. It’s an arrangement where the head of state has money and Executive authority,” Omtatah added.
“You can’t devolve yet retain the Treasury under the Executive. That’s why most of our ills continue,
He criticized the current system, where budget allocations often depend on political loyalty. “Within my first 90 days, I’d implement Article 225 to establish an independent Treasury,” he said.
Elucidating his vision, Omtatah stated that money should be managed by Parliament and not the Executive. Money would only be released through passed budgets and subject to sanction by the Controller of Budget. “This would eliminate cases where MPs, having passed a budget, attend presidential functions looking for development funds. It would drain the swamp,” he stated.
He noted that areas such as Luo Nyanza develop only when they are politically aligned with the president. “This is because the president treats state resources like an emperor,” he went on.
Omtatah confirmed that he has set up a presidential exploratory committee that has made trips to 31 counties to gauge his candidacy. The team will finalize their survey before making a decision.
“I am not running for a job, like most other people,” Omtatah said. “I’m running because there is work to be done. We have an existential threat as a nation, and I have an ideological framework and plan to address it.”
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