The controversy over the dramatic deportation of 17 directors of betting firms continued to unfold on Tuesday as Kericho Senator and his Narok counterpart Ledama Ole Kina tore into Interior and Coordination of National Government Cabinet Secretary Dr Fred Matiang'i.
Speaking in the Senate, the two senators faulted the move by the cabinet secretary, saying that it smacked of contempt for the courts and that its extreme nature could potentially cause economic damage.
"The issue is about a government that does not respect its own institutions. If Kenya Revenue Authority has declared an institution to be tax compliant, where does a minister get the powers to declare you to be non-tax compliant," Senator Cheruiyot said.
Senator Ledama Ole Kina warned that the actions taken by Dr Matiang'i could potentially slide the country back into dictatorship, calling on the government to critically consider the good that the betting companies were doing.
"This issue where cabinet secretaries have so much power is going to take this country back into dictatorship," Senator Ledama Ole Kina said.
Their sentiments come in the context of a relentless crackdown on betting firms said to have violated standards of operation.
Sportpesa, one of the betting firms affected, said in a statement that it would seek to reverse its suspension through the courts.