By Staff Writer
Voluptuous UDA nominated Interior CAS Millicent Omanga is a newsmaker. Her curvy body and theatrics on social media platforms have elevated her into some sort of a celebrity.
This, coupled with her open defiance of ex-President Uhuru Kenyatta, made Omanga the then most discussed nominated senator on Facebook and twitter. Her support of DP William Ruto-as you will read elsewhere in this article-has gained her admirers and ‘haters’ in almost equal measure. This writer takes a look at the life of Senator Omanga from information gathered from various sources.
Early Life
From riches to rags then back to riches. This is the story of Omanga in a nutshell. Her father was a well-off man who provided for his wife and seven children. Until his death, he worked as a mechanic with the Postal Corporation of Kenya.
The family woes began in 1999 when Omanga’s father passed on. Although he left a five bedroomed home standing in approximately two acres of land in Rimpa, Ongata Rongai, in Kajiado County-they had no other source of income.
The late mzee Omanga died in a car accident. Plans to bury him in his Ongata Rongai farm hit a snag after a delegation from his Kisii village demanded that he be buried in his ancestral home. The Nairobian quoted a neighbour saying:
“Abuses were hurled at Joyce. They mocked her for only giving birth to girls. They insisted that Mzee Omanga must be buried in Kiamukama. They promised to help her take care of the seven children only if her husband was buried in the village. She later gave in to their demands”
This was just a promise as the family went MIA leaving mzee Omanga’s wife on her own devices. The widow blasted stones and sold them as kokoto to fend for her big family. The enterprising woman also started farming on her piece of land and sold the produce to her neighbours.
Age
The senator is the first born in a family of seven. She was born on 30 May 1982 in Kisii, Kenya.
Education
Omanga sat for her KCSE at Mumbi Girls High School in 1999. She was not able to join university after completing her O-levels. According to Nairobian, a well-wisher sponsored her to join Medical Training College (MTC). The senator pursued Journalism at The University of Nairobi.
Husband
The nominated senator is married to Dr. Francis Nyamiobo who is a medical doctor. The couple have been married for ten years and blessed with two children. Omanga was full of praises for her better half as she squared it out with Rachael Shebesh for the Jubilee Women Rep nomination in 2017. Although she lost, she had this to share on her husband support:
Today I celebrate My Husband Dr. Francis Nyamiobo, The pillar behind my political strength. I Am so grateful for him. Tumetoka Mbali.
Adding that
FAMILY IS EVERYTHING.
Career
The 39 year old legislator has credited her success to Deputy President William Ruto. Before her entry in politics, Omanga was a small time businesswoman. Her first appointment as a director of the Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and subsequent nomination as a Jubilee senator was the work of the DP. She told SDE of how she received a call that changed her life when she was “haggling over the price of 30 bedsheets at a shop in town, with the hope of reselling them at a profit.”
“When CS Chirchir called and asked if I was in Nairobi before directing me to rush to his office, I wondered what I had done. I got to his office and he informed me that the following day, KenGen would be holding its annual general meeting and that I had been nominated as one of the directors. I could not believe it,” she shared during an end year party for a company associated with South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro.
When her ambition to become Nairobi women came a cropper it was the DP who came to her rescue and she had full of praises for a man who is under siege from his boss:
“I ran for the Nairobi Woman Rep seat, but I did not make it. But that one man believed in my potential. If it were not for William Ruto, I would not be a senator today. He believes in empowering young people. He believes in empowerment of women,” she told the gathering.
“I ran for the Nairobi Woman Rep seat, but I did not make it. But that one man believed in my potential. If it were not for William Ruto, I would not be a senator today. He believes in empowering young people. He believes in empowerment of women,” she said of her political godfather.
Political Judas
After reports emerged of an impending expulsion from Jubilee Party for her decision, alongside other legislators affiliated to Ruto to skip a Jubilee Senate Parliamentary Group meeting convened by the Head of State at State House, Omanga seems to have turned to a political Judas to save her seat. The Ruto ally was among legislators who appended their signature in support of the motion to kick out Kithure Kindiki as Deputy Speaker.
And this is what she told Radio Maisha:
“It’s not true. I was not invited to State House. I came to know about it through social media. Maybe some Senators were informed and others were not. I did not receive an email or SMS. My personal assistant was neither informed”
She went on to say:
“To say the truth, I have not received that letter. I have seen it in newspapers, the television and social media platforms. I tried reaching out to Tuju but he was unavailable. I left him my number and a text message…,” she went on to defend her absence from the meeting.
Jubilee Party secretary general Raphael Tuju has maintained that the senators who include Falhada Dekow Iman, Naomi Jillo Waqo, Victor Prengei, Mary Seneta Yiane and Millicent Omanga were informed but failed to show. He said they will be expelled for ‘gross insubordination and misconduct’.
“They received messages and did not even bother to send apologies for not attending the meeting,” he said.
