Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has sensationally claimed that President William Ruto is behind an alleged scheme to scrap Kenya’s constitutional term limits and extend his stay in power for decades.
Speaking during a podcast interview aired Friday, Onyonka alleged that Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei was being used as the face of a covert plan to alter the constitution in favor of indefinite presidential rule.
“First of all, it’s true, the thing has been under the table, and it was hidden from us until the gazette notice for the bill was tabled in the Senate when Cherargei began talking about it,” Onyonka said.
“I think the president wants to remove the term limits and rule Kenya, maybe for 30 years. To do that, he has to come out and tell MPs to bring the motion through the back door.”
The Kisii Senator further claimed that some governors were sympathetic to the push, arguing that if the presidency could go beyond two terms, then county bosses should equally not be restricted.
Onyonka suggested that the Kenya Kwanza administration, aware of its waning popularity, was eyeing a constitutional amendment not just to scrap term limits but also to extend the current presidential term by an additional two years.
“They want more time to clean up the mess they have created and guarantee themselves re-election,” he said.
The remarks come just days after the Senate dismissed reports of a presidential term extension bill.
In a statement issued earlier this week, the Senate leadership insisted no such proposal was scheduled for debate, stressing that an attempt to introduce the motion was quickly abandoned after encountering strong resistance.
“The so-called bill never saw the light of day,” the statement read.
“The Senate has no plans to alter the constitutional provisions on presidential term limits.”
Senator Cherargei, a close ally of President Ruto, has in the past publicly floated the idea of extending the presidential term limit, arguing it would provide continuity for government projects.
His remarks sparked outrage across the political divide, with civil society groups warning that tampering with term limits could destabilize the country’s democratic foundation.
President Ruto himself has not publicly addressed Onyonka’s fresh claims.
Onyonka’s allegations add to growing political tension as the country inches closer to the 2027 general elections.
Opposition leaders have consistently accused the Kenya Kwanza administration of harboring authoritarian ambitions, while ruling party loyalists dismiss such claims as fear-mongering.
For now, the debate over term limits remains politically charged, with the government under pressure to clarify its position amid a storm of suspicion.
