Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has unveiled a bold vision for Kenya’s future, declaring that his first order of business as President in 2027 would be to dismantle what he termed the “imperial presidency” and restore constitutional order, particularly in the handling of public finances.
Speaking during Citizen TV’s The Explainer Show on Tuesday night, Omtatah who has officially declared his presidential ambitions said his primary focus within the first 100 days in office would be to operationalise Article 225(1) of the Constitution by establishing an independent National Treasury, completely separate from the Executive.
“In my implementation, I have anchor chapters that, the first thing would be to destroy the imperial presidency,” said the vocal lawmaker. “An imperial president is nothing but the power of the past, where he controls both money and Executive power.”
Omtatah criticised the current structure where development is often tied to political allegiance, saying that true devolution cannot be achieved if the President controls public funds. He cited the example of President William Ruto’s visits across the country, which he claims have been turned into informal budget-making platforms by politicians seeking favour.
“You find MPs making many budgets whenever the President has a function. That must stop,” he said. “I would take the Treasury away from the Executive and have it run independently. Any money to leave must be approved by Parliament and sanctioned by the Controller of Budget.”
He argued that the current politicisation of resource distribution undermines national cohesion and the principles of equity and accountability.
Omtatah also revealed that his candidacy is being evaluated through a countrywide survey conducted by a presidential exploratory committee. “They have so far covered 31 counties out of 47,” he said, emphasising that his presidential bid is based on data and public sentiment.
“I am not running for President because I want a job. I am running because there is a job to be done,” he said, adding that he has developed an ideological framework that he believes can fix the country’s most pressing problems.
