Political discourse in the Nyanza region is increasingly descending into vulgarity, with some leaders resorting to sexual insults and crude language to attack their opponents.
The trend, which has gathered momentum over the past year, has left many voters feeling alienated, embarrassed and deeply uneasy. Some residents say they can no longer attend political rallies with their families for fear of the language at the podiums.
The region is a stronghold of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), but internal battles within the party have become strikingly personal, bitter and aggressive.
On February 26 2026, the Siaya County government dismissed its Information Management Officer, Richard Omondi, popularly known as Makamu wa Makamu. The dismissal letter stated that Mr Omondi had made unsavoury, derogatory, insulting and disrespectful remarks directed at his boss, Siaya Governor James Orengo.
Siaya Governor James Orengo.
Photo credit: Dennis Onsongo | Nation Media Group
The incident occurred a day earlier during the Linda Ground rally in Kisumu County. Mr Omondi accused Governor Orengo, Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino of abandoning the Linda Ground faction to form Linda Mwananchi for sexual reasons.
Mr Omondi also trivialised the ODM party’s internal contest for the secretary general position. He is said to have sexualised the dispute, insinuating that such matters could be resolved through sexual contact.
The remarks were made in the presence of senior ODM officials, among them party chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, as well as Kisumu Senator Tom Ojienda. The following day, he was issued a suspension letter from the county government.
“This office is notified of an incident during a political activity within Kisumu County on February 25, at which you uttered unsavoury, derogatory, insulting and disrespectful remarks in reference to the Siaya Governor,” part of the letter read.
However, barely three months later, on May 18 2026, Mr Orengo found himself at the centre of a similar storm after using offensive language during a political rally in Oyugis Town, Homa Bay County.
Addressing supporters, he turned his attention to Ms Wanga, the ODM chairperson who also serves as Homa Bay Governor. He began by dismissing comparisons between his political experience and hers.
“I’m a politician whom she shouldn’t dare play with. I have seen politics different from what she has experienced,” he said when addressing the crowd in Dholuo.
“I don’t give an ‘alibi’ for political favouritism. Every time she (Ms Wanga) speaks about Orengo,” he said.
Governor Orengo further declared that he remained politically vigorous, extolling his sexual vitality despite criticism over his age.
“Some are saying Orengo is old. Now is when I’m ‘active’. Those who are saying I’m old should try me,” he added.
These remarks spread rapidly across social media, prompting widespread criticism and renewed concerns about the increasingly negative tone of politics in the region.
Many users lamented that political rallies in Nyanza had become so obscene that parents could no longer comfortably attend with their children or in the company of people they respect.
One user observed that the region’s politics had become hostile to the faint-hearted, with obscene language now serving as the preferred weapon for winning support and humiliating opponents.
Another argued that politicians had come to believe that vulgarity was the surest route to winning crowds, normalising indecency in public discourse.
Worth the wait: Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo Mabona during the International Women's Day Gala Dinner at Mövenpick Hotel, Nairobi, on March 6, 2026. Held up by Nairobi's historic floods, she joined the panel by phone before making it to the venue later in the evening.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Suba North Member of Parliament Millie Mabona also condemned the trend on her official social media page.
“I hate the kind of political rhetoric being propagated in my neighbourhood. Let us disagree respectfully. Who has slept with you cannot help the common man,” she wrote.
Prof Amukowa Anangwe, a political scientist, told the Nation that the quality of politics in Kenya had deteriorated sharply over time.
“It has now become a field for miscreants, be they drug lords, ‘wash-wash’ characters, devil worshippers, veritable criminals and charlatans drawn from a variety of professions,” he said.
Prof Anangwe argued that the vulgarity and lack of decorum dominating political platforms were symptoms of a much deeper societal problem.
“It is no wonder not only about the level of vulgarity and lack of decorum being witnessed, but also the quality of public discourse on pertinent issues, all of which underscore a decline in moral fervour and ethical conduct,” he said.
He added that in an environment marked by political decay and the weakening of the social fabric, public spaces inevitably become fertile ground for reckless utterances.
The scholar further argued that although Kenya prides itself as a moral society, religious leaders had failed in their mission to nurture a God-fearing and morally upright populace.
In Kisumu, the informal Bunge la Wananchi urged Mr Orengo to issue a public apology to Ms Wanga over the alleged sexual remarks. Also, female Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) of Kisumu have called on the Council of Governors to convene an urgent meeting to mediate between the two governors.
Led by Nereah Okombo, the MCA for Manyatta B Ward and Deputy Speaker of the Kisumu County Assembly, the leaders also demanded a public apology from Mr Orengo to Ms Wanga and to women in leadership across the country.
“Mr Orengo must publicly apologise to the women of Kenya and to Governor Gladys Wanga for violating the Constitution and abusing the office he holds as a governor in this country,” Ms Okombo said.
ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga speaks to the media on the second day of the political party's three-day retreat at Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort in Mombasa on May 4, 2026.
Photo credit: Kevin Odit | Nation Media Group
She further argued that the governor’s alleged conduct was inconsistent with the legal and ethical standards expected of public office holders, citing provisions within the Leadership and Integrity framework.
Ms Okombo noted that public officials are bound by principles of professionalism that demand restraint in both speech and conduct, warning that gender based insults and sexual taunts undermine those obligations.
“Under the Public Officer Ethics Act and the Code of Conduct, officers are required to discharge their duties in a manner that sustains public confidence in the integrity of their office,” she said.
Her colleague, Kaloleni Shauri Moyo Ward MCA Caren Odhiambo, urged leaders to exercise restraint regardless of political differences.
“Differences in politics will always exist, but as leaders we must choose language that reflects dignity and respect,” she said.
Ms Odhiambo added that leaders must remain conscious of how their conduct reflects on their families and the values they are entrusted to uphold.
“We must respect women. Even Governor Orengo was born of a mother, and he has a wife and daughters. What respect does he have for them if he disrespects other women?” she posed.
