Willis Otieno spells out repercussions awaiting next president over Kenya’s debt issue
By Mabonga Makhanu, March 22, 2026Safina Party Deputy Party Leader Willis Otieno has stated that whoever takes over from President William Ruto and fails to fix Kenya’s debt problem will be removed within six months of being in office.
While speaking on the Jadiel Kabiro podcast on Saturday, March 22, 2026, the outspoken advocate, who has been vocal about Kenya’s debt, said that the 2027 elections will be based on the debt issue that has bedevilled the country, with a large portion of Kenyan taxes going toward debt repayment.
“Whoever will become the leader of Kenya after William Ruto and does not solve the debt problem will become a must-go within 6 months; that is how critical 2027 will be,” Willis stated.
Since he and his party leader, Jimmy Wanjigi, are also seeking the high office, he said that if they do not solve the skyrocketing debt—which he terms ‘odious debt’—Kenyans are free to chase them out of office within six months.
He further added that in 2022, President William Ruto was elected because Kenyans believed he would solve the debt issue, but the moment he entered office and failed to do so, instead continuing with massive borrowing, Kenyans began revolting against him.
Willis Otieno also went ahead to take a swipe at the Auditor General and the Controller of Budget, terming them as morticians who only step in or make the right diagnosis after the patient has died or when the damage has already been done. According to him, it is only when money is stolen or misappropriated that you hear the auditor general raising her voice.
This comes at a time when Kenya’s debt is slowly approaching Ksh12 trillion, with 52.9 per cent being external debt and 47.1 per cent being domestic debt.
Safina Party debt initiative
The Safina Party, which was recently handed over to Willis Otieno and Jimmy Wanjigi to steer, has vowed that if they take office, they will not pay debts owed by Kenya that were acquired unlawfully.
They pledged that, should they take power in 2027, they will conduct a thorough scrutiny of the country’s debt and refuse to repay any amount borrowed without following proper constitutional procedures.
They noted that international borrowing laws require such processes to be aligned with the borrowing country’s constitution.