President William Ruto is facing fresh criticism over Kenya’s growing public debt, with Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah questioning the continued borrowing and warning that the country’s debt burden can no longer be treated as a minor concern.
Omtatah said Kenya had accumulated about Sh4.3 trillion in additional public debt since Ruto became President, putting the country’s debt at around Sh13 trillion compared with Sh8.7 trillion when the current administration came into office.
“Mr President, you found public debt at Sh8.7 trillion. Today it is Sh13 trillion. That is Sh4.3 trillion added in four years,” Omtatah said.
The senator’s comments come against the backdrop of rising debt levels reported by the National Treasury. Total public and publicly guaranteed debt stood at Sh12.833 trillion at the end of March 2026, representing 70.2 per cent of the country’s GDP.
The figure subsequently moved past the Sh13 trillion mark, with the debt stock reported at about Sh13.01 trillion in June 2026.
Omtatah also questioned why the government was continuing to borrow despite concerns about the size of the existing debt. He referred to remarks by the Controller of Budget calling on Treasury to stop adding to the country’s debt burden.
“The Controller of Budget is telling Treasury to stop borrowing because we have smashed the 55 per cent debt ceiling,” he said.
The 55 per cent level cited by Omtatah is Kenya’s debt anchor against GDP. Treasury’s Medium Term Debt Management Strategy identifies 55 per cent of GDP as the benchmark debt threshold, although the country’s current debt-to-GDP level remains above that point.
In making his case, Omtatah said the government should not try to make the country’s debt position appear less serious than it is.
“You do not reduce a mountain by standing on it and announcing it is a hill,” he said.
The senator’s criticism comes as the government continues to face the challenge of funding its programmes and development needs while dealing with the cost and risks that come with a large public debt.
Treasury’s latest debt-management strategy outlines plans to lower the cost and risks linked to government borrowing. The strategy includes extending the maturity of loans and making greater use of concessional financing.
The government is also exploring different ways of raising funds to support its budget deficit rather than relying on one source of financing.
Among the options being considered is Kenya’s first panda bond, alongside a possible Eurobond, Samurai bonds, Sukuk and sustainability-linked bonds.
The range of financing options reflects the government’s need to raise money for its programmes and development spending, even as the country carries a debt stock that has continued to grow.
The situation leaves Treasury with a difficult balance between securing funds for government operations and keeping further borrowing under control.
Omtatah has made the size of that debt the centre of his criticism, arguing that the government needs to address the amount already owed rather than continue adding to it.
Kenya’s debt-to-GDP ratio remains above the 55 per cent benchmark set out in the government’s debt-management framework, keeping borrowing, debt costs and efforts to contain the country’s fiscal pressure at the heart of the economic debate.
For Omtatah, the figures show that the government needs to take the debt problem more seriously and reconsider the pace at which it continues to borrow.
“You do not reduce a mountain by standing on it and announcing it is a hill,” he said.