Okiya Omtatah: Kenya’s debt is toxic because it enriches few
By Ndiritu Wanjiru, March 27, 2026Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has strongly criticised Kenya’s growing debt burden, describing what he terms as ‘odious debt’ as toxic and harmful to ordinary citizens.
Omtatah argues that such debt disproportionately benefits a small elite while leaving millions of Kenyans to shoulder the repayment burden.
In a video shared on his X handle on Friday, March 27, 2026, the vocal legislator has explained that odious debt makes the rich richer and the poor poorer, and that most odious debts are normally borrowed on behalf of the masses but never expended in their favour.
To him, this poses some serious moral and legal concerns about whether the citizens should be compelled to pay loans that never enhanced their welfare or livelihoods.
“Odious debt is toxic because it enriches the few while robbing the many; it’s money borrowed in the people’s name but never for their benefit,” Omtatah stated.
The senator also objected to the payback of the programmes like the Nyota Fund, wondering why Kenyans should have debts related to the programmes they had no hand in approving.
In his claim, he stated that the legitimacy of such loans is questionable since the people have not taken part in the process, which is a constitutional provision in contracting such loans.
In addition to this, Omtatah cited endemic levels of corruption in the handling of the borrowed money and that there is a problem when borrowed money is embezzled.
He cautioned that further mismanagement and irresponsibility would lead the state into a perpetual cycle of debts with no tangible development results.
Omtatah’s argument on debts
The crux of the argument is whether the odious debt should be considered sovereign debt, which binds the state, or if it is an illegitimate obligation that the Kenyan people should not be obliged to pay.
Omtatah is adamant that this issue should be addressed transparently by asking questions, ensuring accountability, and reviewing the way Kenya borrows money.
His comments contribute to the increasing national debate on the sustainability of debts and the necessity to make sure that public borrowing can indeed benefit the citizens.