- Luo Nyanza, historically Kenya’s opposition stronghold, came under fire online after giving President William Ruto a warm reception during the 2025 Madaraka Day
- Critics accused the region of “selling out” its political ideals, pointing to packed crowds and enthusiastic displays of support as evidence in the opposition heartland
- Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo clapped back at detractors with a fiery social media post, dismissing the backlash as irrelevant
- The controversy has sparked a debate over whether engagement with the government equates to betrayal or strategic pragmatism
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Didacus Malowa, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over three years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Homa Bay – For decades, Luo Nyanza has stood as the bastion of Kenya’s opposition politics, a region synonymous with resistance to state power.
This has been an unwavering loyalty to the ideals championed by the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and later his son, Raila Odinga.
But as political tides shift ahead of the 2027 General Election, so too is the mood in this storied region, and not everyone is taking it lightly.
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Why did Luo Nyanza get criticised online
The transformation became impossible to ignore during the 2025 Madaraka Day celebrations, hosted in Homa Bay county.
Days before the national holiday, President William Ruto embarked on a series of events across the region, met not with the cold stares and empty halls of the past, but with cheers, packed crowds, and local leaders flanking him.
And on Madaraka Day itself, something nearly unthinkable happened: Homa Bay residents flooded the stadium overnight, and by 10pm the previous evening, the venue was packed.
For a region once defined by its political distance from the State House, the images of jubilant crowds, draped in national colours and waving Kenyan flags for Ruto, were jarring to some observers.
The spectacle ignited a firestorm on social media, with some Kenyans accusing Luo Nyanza of abandoning its legacy of opposition and “selling out” to a government they claim has failed to honour campaign promises.
Most critics viewed the region’s hospitality as political betrayal, arguing that the administration being celebrated had done little to address long-standing concerns.
How did Millie respond to critics
But Suba North MP Millie Odhiambo is having none of it, taking on the critics on social media platforms.
In a defiant post shared on her social media pages, Millie dismissed the criticism as misguided and patronising.
With her trademark sass and wordplay, she took aim at the outrage over the region’s embrace of the president, telling off critics in one word: “Wadak.”
The word is a sharp-edged phrase that in Luo loosely translates to ‘We don’t care’ or ‘Let them talk.’
“People have proferred many theories about Luos since Jana. Bwana, summarise it in one word, ” Wadak!”,” the self-proclaimed bad girl declared.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
