Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has absolved Kenyans of any blame for the country’s perennial problems of bad governance.

Speaking on Monday, May 26 night with TV47’s Abubakar Abdullahi, Senator Omtatah said that the leadership of the day was to blame for the country “moving in the wrong direction”.

“No, the electorate is not to blame in anyway, what is to blame is the leadership,” Omtatah answered when Abubakar questioned whether the electorate is partly to blame for voting in bad leadership. “First of all, they [leadership] have captured the state. They don’t allow elections to be conducted in a free, fair and verifiable manner.”

While giving President William Ruto as an example, Senator Omtatah added that politicians often come up with enticing manifestos that Kenyans find it hard to ignore.

“Then they come up with very beautiful manifestos to hoodwink Kenyans. Look at the manifesto that Kenya Kwanza had last time. If that manifesto could have been implemented, could there be any need to challenge Ruto? No.”

Omtatah, who has since declared that he will be vying for the presidency in 2027, said that for Kenya to advance both politically, economically and socially, Kenyans must be allowed to express themselves on the ballot, something he claimed is not happening at the moment.

Kenya’s current problem

According to Senator Omtatah, Kenya’s biggest problem is a leadership that disregards the rule of law. He says that Kenya is not short of good laws and a progressive constitution.

“We have a very beautiful constitution, we have beautiful laws, but they mean for nothing. And that’s why state capture comes in, and whims of powerful individuals are now the laws of the country. Political good will to implement the law is lacking. A political class that believes Kenya needs a great foundation and a leap forward into the global economy. A leadership that looks at Kenya being bigger than themselves, and one that is out to build a legacy, and not to enrich themselves.”