Members of Parliament allied to the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) from the Mt. Kenya region have intensified pressure on the party’s Secretary General Hassan Omar, demanding his immediate resignation over remarks they described as divisive and ethnically inflammatory.
Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, the leaders, led by Kiambaa MP John Njuguna Wanjiku, Thika Town MP Alice Ng’ang’a and Laikipia Woman Representative Jane Kagiri, said they had rejected Omar’s apology and clarification issued on Sunday.
The lawmakers accused Omar of profiling the Kikuyu community through comments he made while addressing historical land injustices at the Coast.
“We flatly reject the statement of clarification and apology issued by the UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar on Sunday. An apology cannot erase or excuse calculated ethnic profiling,” Kagiri said.
She added that the remarks were reckless and risked inciting ethnic tension at a sensitive political period ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The MPs insisted that every Kenyan has a constitutional right to live, work, own property and conduct business in any part of the country without discrimination.
The leaders maintained that they were not interested in further explanations from Omar and instead demanded his immediate exit from the powerful party position.
“As leaders, we demand immediate resignation; we do not want explanations. We have rejected the half-hearted apology,” Kagiri stated.
Wanjiku warned that Mt. Kenya leaders were prepared to escalate the matter to President William Ruto if no action is taken against Omar.
“We cannot continue to be members of UDA if he continues to serve as Secretary General,” he said.
On her part, Ng’ang’a said Omar had lost the confidence of a section of party members and leaders.
“As members of UDA, we are not comfortable with him continuing to sit as our Secretary General. We need leadership that can unite members and the country,” she said.
The latest fallout exposes growing cracks within the ruling party as political realignments begin to emerge ahead of the 2027 elections.
Omar, however, defended himself on Sunday, saying his remarks had been taken out of context and misunderstood.
He said his comments were meant to address long-standing historical land injustices affecting the Coast region and were not intended to target or offend any community.
“My comments were never intended to demean, offend, or target any community,” Omar said while issuing an apology to those who may have been offended.
The controversy followed remarks Omar made during the recent nationwide fuel strike protests, where he accused sections of the transport sector of bias and warned against leaders he claimed were inciting unrest.
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