‘Yapping’ row: Omtatah refuses to back down after Senate suspension
Kenyan Senator Okiya Omtatah remains defiant following a three-day suspension from the Senate for using the term 'yapping' to describe the President's policy declarations. He argues that his speech is protected by his constitutional duty to hold the executive branch accountable.
Why it matters
Highlights ongoing tensions between the Kenyan legislature and the executive regarding parliamentary decorum and freedom of speech.
Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah speaks in Parliament on May 21, 2025. /SCREENGRAB Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah said the three-day suspension from the Senate over his remarks on President William Ruto's declaration on undocumented immigrants would not stop him from defending the Constitution and holding those in power to account.
Omtatah has doubled down on his description of President Ruto's declaration on undocumented immigrants as "yapping", insisting the word was neither unparliamentary nor an insult.
"Three days outside the Chamber will not silence me. I will continue to defend the Constitution and the Kenyan people," Omtatah said in a statement issued on Thursday.
He said he respected the Speaker but would not surrender what he described as his constitutional duty to speak truth to power.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in