Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has moved to the High Court seeking orders to prevent the National Treasury from releasing Sh2.824 trillion earmarked for a series of railway projects across Kenya.
In his petition, Omtatah argues that the planned expenditure on rail transport infrastructure—including the 12.5-kilometre Riruta–Ngong Commuter Metre Gauge Railway (estimated at about Sh11.5 billion)—should not proceed without judicial intervention. He has filed the case jointly with activists Bernard Muchiri Muchere and Naomi Nyakerario Misati, and is asking the court to restrain the government and its agents from advancing the projects while the matter is being heard.
According to the filing, the trio wants the court to block both the release of the funds from the Treasury and the execution of works under the contested infrastructure plans until legal questions around their approval and financing are resolved.
The petition is the latest in a series of legal challenges Omtatah has pursued against public projects and government agreements he says lack proper transparency, public participation or compliance with constitutional requirements. His past litigation has included efforts to challenge major procurement processes and international agreements on various grounds.
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