Former special senator Millicent Omanga has broken her silence on her political shift, claiming she parted with President William Ruto over betrayal of promises. She said many 2022 campaign pledges, especially those for women and low-income citizens, remain unfulfilled. Instead of easing living costs, the government has raised taxes hurting the poor.
Omanga, a prominent figure in the 2022 Kenya Kwanza campaigns, said she parted from Ruto three years ago upon realizing promises went unfulfilled. "Ordinary citizens have been crushed by taxes that rob their income," she stated in an interview.
She cited pledges like a women's charter promising 50% gender parity, free sanitary pads for public school students, and birth support for mothers in public hospitals. None were implemented, and the Linda Mama program was scrapped. "It was signed publicly, but after the election everything was forgotten," she added.
She defended her move from UDA to DCP as principle-based. She rejected an appointment to the Nairobi Rivers Restoration Commission to protect her voters. "I cannot take part in a project that will displace people who elected me," she said.
Omanga graded the government's performance since 2022 lowly, noting harder lives and public servant woes from deductions without raises. She criticized Ruto's insulting public remarks and called for opposition unity ahead of the next elections, while focusing on empowering Nairobi's women and youth.