A political storm is brewing in Mumias West after residents came out strongly to condemn remarks attributed to area MP Hon. Johnson Manya Naicca concerning youthful politician Hon. Brian Omondi, who is seeking to unseat him in the 2027 General Election.

The residents say they were shocked and angered by remarks they interpreted as questioning Omondi’s right to contest the Mumias West parliamentary seat because he has a luo name.

For them, the issue is bigger than the 2027 political contest.

They say it touches on the fundamental question of whether a Kenyan should be allowed to live, work and seek elective office in any part of the country without being judged by his or her ethnic background.

Speaking in Musanda, Richard Nelima described the remarks as reckless and said they had the potential to reopen ethnic wounds in a constituency where communities have lived side by side for years.

“Such remarks are not what we expect from a leader of Hon. Naicca’s stature. Mumias West has been home to people from different communities, and we have lived together peacefully,” Nelima said.

He said residents would not allow political differences to tear apart the social bonds they had built over the years.

‘WHO DECIDES WHERE A KENYAN SHOULD VIE?’

Nelima questioned why Brian Omondi should be asked to seek an elective position elsewhere simply because of his Luo heritage.

He reminded political leaders that Kenya is a democratic country where citizens have the freedom to choose where they live, work and participate in politics, provided they meet the requirements set by law.

“Kenya belongs to all of us. You cannot tell a Kenyan that because he is Luo he should go to Siaya, or because he is Luhya he should remain in Western Kenya. That is not the Kenya we want,” he said.

The residents said the ballot should be the ultimate judge, allowing voters to decide who represents them based on their ideas, leadership record and ability to serve—not their ethnic identity.

‘THE LUOS HAVE SUPPORTED NAICCA’

For some residents, the remarks were particularly painful because they say members of the Luo community have themselves supported Naicca over the years.

Nelima and other speakers questioned why a community that has participated in electing the MP would now be made to feel unwelcome in the same political space.

Olivia Ambutsi challenged Naicca to withdraw the remarks and apologise, saying women from the Luo community had also played a role in his successive electoral victories.

She said politicians should be careful with their words because statements made during political contests can easily create divisions that remain long after elections are over.

‘WE DIDN’T CHOOSE WHERE WE WERE BORN’

The emotional side of the debate was captured by Daniel Omondi, a staunch ally of Brian Omondi, who said many Luo families in Mumias West have made the constituency their permanent home.

Omondi claimed that Mumias West has about 9,000 registered Luo voters, many of whom, he said, have supported Naicca in previous elections.

“It saddens us that we can be profiled along ethnic lines yet we did not write to God to have us born here in Mumias West,” he said.

He said many Luo residents had become deeply integrated into the community and shared schools, businesses, friendships, marriages and everyday life with their neighbours from other communities.

“Many of us here are assimilated. We have lived here for years. We have embraced one another and enjoyed peaceful coexistence. What matters is that we are Kenyans,” Omondi said.

‘LET THE VOTERS DECIDE’

Hassan Musiko from Mumias North Ward said the debate should now shift from ethnicity to leadership and what each candidate has to offer residents.

He said the Constitution gives Kenyans the right to participate in political affairs and that voters should be allowed to make their choice freely at the ballot.

“The role of an MP is representation, legislation and oversight. Let the people listen to what each candidate has to say and then decide,” Musiko said.

He further questioned what he described as Naicca’s long tenure, saying residents were already looking at Brian Omondi as a possible alternative in 2027.

“There is nothing that the MP has not done in the past 15 years that he will do in another five years,” Musiko said.

A 2027 CONTEST TAKES SHAPE

The controversy comes as political temperatures begin to rise in Mumias West ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Brian Omondi, a youthful politician, has declared his intention to contest the parliamentary seat currently held by Naicca, who is serving his third term.

But as the two sides prepare for what could be a closely watched political contest, residents say they want the battle fought on leadership, development, accountability and ideas—not ethnicity.

For the residents who spoke in Musanda, there is a simple message: Mumias West is home to Kenyans from different communities, and the right to seek leadership should belong to any citizen who meets the constitutional requirements.

“The people should decide at the ballot. Not politicians deciding who belongs where,” one resident said.