Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah/ FILEBusia Senator Okiya Omtatah has been suspended from the Senate for three sitting days following a disagreement with Speaker Amason Kingi over remarks he made about President William Ruto’s recent roadside declaration.
Omtatah rose in the House to respond to a directive requiring him to withdraw the remark, saying he was doing so out of respect for the Senate and its procedures.
The disagreement arose during an afternoon session on Thursday, September 10, 2026, after Omtatah was directed to withdraw a statement describing the President as ‘yapping’ during the roadside declaration.
He, however, maintained that the word was not unparliamentary and defended it as an acceptable description of a particular form of political communication.
"I rise to address this House on the requirement you have placed upon me to withdraw my statement regarding the President's recent roadside declaration," Omtatah said.
"I wish to do so not out of defiance but out of a deep respect for this House, its procedures and the integrity of our parliamentary language."
Omtatah said parliamentary precedent from Westminster, which he referred to as the "mother of all parliaments", supported his position.
He then returned to the statement that had prompted the directive.
"The statement in question was my observation that the President was yapping when he made a roadside declaration ordering an institution to be documented...," he said.
As Omtatah continued defending the remark, Kingi interrupted him.
"Mr Speaker, sir, don't dance on a slippery slope. I'm answering your order, Mr Speaker, sir," Omtatah responded.
He insisted that "yapping is not unparliamentary" and challenged the Speaker to check the record of the Westminster Parliament.
Kingi then ordered Omtatah to leave the chamber for three sitting days.
"I order you to leave the chamber for three sitting days consecutively. You may leave now," the Speaker said.
Omtatah continued trying to address the House despite the directive, prompting the Speaker to warn that he could summon the sergeant-at-arms to remove him. His microphone was switched off as he attempted to continue speaking.
"Don't make me direct the sergeant-at-arms to come for you because then that will amount to 90 days," Kingi said.
Kingi again called for decorum and instructed Omtatah to leave.
"Let's observe decorum. Kindly leave the chamber," he said.
The Speaker also rejected Omtatah's reliance on Westminster parliamentary practice, reminding him that the proceedings were governed by Kenya's own rules.
"We are not in the Westminster Parliament. This is the Kenyan Parliament with its Standing Orders," Kingi said.
He subsequently directed the sergeant-at-arms to remove Omtatah from the chamber.
"Sergeant-at-arms, kindly get the honourable senator out of the chamber," the Speaker ordered.
Kingi then said he would not entertain any points of order until the senator had left the House.
