Senate Majority Leader and Kericho Senator Aaron Cheruiyot has called out his Busia counterpart Okiya Omtatah for claiming that he was denied an opportunity to contribute to a State of the Nation motion.
Senator Cheruiyot on Wednesday, July 10, called out Omtatah who had on Tuesday, lamented that he was being denied the opportunity to contribute to a motion tabled in Senate.
The Kericho Senator in a statement asked Omtatah to be a man of integrity, further explaining his side of the story concerning the State of the Nation Motion.
“Be a man of integrity and stop these lies. Every senator who has queued to speak has had the chance. The motion is still alive on the floor & scheduled even for this afternoon,” said Cheruiyot.
Senator Omtatah had lamented that he had been denied a chance to contribute to the State of the Nation motion that was being discussed on the floor of the House.
Omtatah on Being Denied Chance to Contribute to Motion
Further, the Senator explained that the incident was not the first time he was sidelined in the house.
“I was today denied an opportunity to speak to the State of the Nation motion currently being debated in the Senate about demonstrations in Kenya,” the legislator stated.
Also Read: Okiya Omtatah Breaks Silence on Vying for Presidency in 2027, Gives Conditions
The first-term lawmaker added that since last week Wednesday, he had been requesting the microphone with no success.
Omtatah’s claims came following continued debates in the motion that was tabled by the Senators to discuss the anti-government demonstrations that have rocked many parts of the country.
The Senators while making their submissions have urged President William Ruto to address various issues raised by Kenyans, particularly by the Gen Z population.
According to the legislators who have been contributing to the motion, the demonstrations led majorly by Gen Z started as opposition to the now retracted Finance Bill 2024 and have continued up to date.
Senator Omtatah has been a vocal supporter of Gen Z-led protests who have since started calling for a change in the country’s top leadership backed by consistent opposition of government policies.
Also Read: Senator Proposes Formation of Committee to Address Gen- Z Concerns
The-activist-turned lawmaker was notably the only high-ranking politician who attended a Gen Z concert on Sunday at Uhuru Park which honored Kenyans who had lost their lives during protests.
State of the Nation Motion
The State of the Nation Motion, which was sponsored by senator Aaron Cheruiyot has seen senators highlight several pressing challenges requiring urgent action from President Ruto.
While presenting the motion, the majority leader urged the Senate to call on the National Assembly to swiftly consider the presidential memorandum as outlined in Article 115(2)(a).
The motion also called for all government ministries, departments, agencies, and constitutional commissions, including Parliament, to implement austerity measures in their operations.
It required the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and other multi-sectoral governance agencies to intensify their efforts to combat corruption.
Additionally, the motion demanded that the National Police Service (NPS) cease abductions, unlawful arrests, and extrajudicial killings, and exercise restraint when dealing with peaceful and unarmed demonstrators.
The motion called for the release of all individuals arrested for planning and participating in peaceful demonstrations related to the Finance Bill 2024.
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