Former nominated Senator Millicent Omanga has traced her political journey from student leadership in university to senior party roles, saying early exposure to campus politics shaped her entry into national political structures that later influenced major party realignments ahead of the 2013 elections and the formation of Jubilee.
Speaking during an interview on Radio Generation Wind Down Show on Tuesday, Omanga said her political interest began in campus, where she was active in student leadership and frequently interacted with national political figures, an experience that pushed her into formal party politics.
She said her first official step into politics came when she joined a party known as United Democratic Movement (UDM), after years of student leadership involvement.
Omanga recalled that the party was holding internal elections at Bomas of Kenya for its National Executive Council, giving her an entry point into structured party leadership contests.
She said she approached the Secretary General, Martin Ole Kamara, and expressed interest in vying for a youth position in the party.
“I told Martin I wanted to vie for youth representative at the National Executive Council,” she said.
Surprise elevation at Bomas
The former Senator said events at the elections took an unexpected turn when the proposed Vice Chair candidate, Prof Sambili, declined the position, opening discussions among delegates.
She said her name was later proposed during the meeting by party members present at Bomas.
She recalled the moment when delegates pushed for her nomination.
“Why can’t we elect you as Vice Chair?” Omanga said she was asked and was immediately asked to stand and was endorsed on the spot.
“I stood up, and they all agreed. That is how I became Vice Chair,” she said.
Post campus, Omanga further explained that internal tensions later emerged in the United Democratic Movement after the then Minister for Agriculture, William Ruto ( now President), joined the party following his exit from government.
She said his arrival created deep divisions within the National Executive Council over proposed structural changes.
“There were those supporting him and those opposing him,” she said.
Omanga noted that while some leaders backed reforms, others resisted them, leading to a power struggle between different party organs.
Going further, Omanga said the disagreements eventually led to a split, resulting in the formation of the United Republican Party (URP) in 2012.
The former Senator said she was part of the officials who transitioned into the new party after the fallout.
“We had to split and form URP,” she said.
Omanga added that URP later entered coalition talks with The National Alliance, setting the stage for the 2013 General Election.
URP formed an alliance with The National Alliance, led by former President Uhuru Kenyatta, which went on to win the 2013 elections.
She said the coalition outcome elevated their party leader to national leadership.
“So my party leader became Deputy President (Ruto),” she said.
She added that after the election, URP and The National Alliance later merged to form Jubilee, consolidating the political alliance.
2017 political clash over Nairobi Woman Rep ticket
In a separate political development years later, Nairobi Woman Representative aspirant Millicent Omanga stormed Jubilee Party headquarters in Pangani, Nairobi on Friday, April 28, 2017, morning to protest the declaration of incumbent Rachel Shebesh as the party’s winner in the Nairobi Woman Representative ticket race.
Rachel Shebesh was declared the winner of the Jubilee Nairobi Woman Rep ticket after she garnered 91,766 votes against Omanga’s 53,734, while Karen Nyamu came third with 36,828 votes.
Omanga rejected the results, claiming irregularities and insisting she had evidence to support her case.
She alleged that Rachel Shebesh “stole” votes, and said she “has video evidence to prove she (Omanga) won in the Jubilee primaries”.
Despite the dispute, the results stood, marking another intense chapter in Nairobi’s competitive political contests.
In the 2017 political cycle, Omanga was later nominated to the Senate, while Shebesh lost the Woman Representative seat in the August General Election to ODM’s Esther Passaris.