Former Health Cabinet Secretary and newly appointed Permanent Representative to the UN-Habitat, Susan Nakhumicha, has stirred debate after urging the Luyha community to seize opportunities in government.
Speaking during the burial of Mama Agatha Nyambura, mother of former Sports CS Ababu Namwamba, Nakhumicha emphasized that the community should not beg for inclusion but instead demand what is rightfully theirs.
“Sisi Waluyha lazima tufungue macho. Wabukusu tunasema, ukitaka kula vitu zile nono ambazo mama amezifungua, unakula wakati bado yuko ndani ya nyumba hajatoka nje. Hii serekali tuliyomo, ni serikali yetu na tuko na haki kukula kila kitu kwa hii serikali,” she declared, drawing applause from mourners.
Loosely translated, Nakhumicha said the Bukusu proverb meant that communities must take advantage of opportunities while they are still within government. She insisted that the Luyha community should focus on “addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division,” warning against disunity.
“Even Ambassador Ababu Namwamba can be a leader here. Even me, it is not just the face but I have the brains. You have seen that when we are assigned duties, we deliver,” she added.
Her remarks come just months after a political comeback. Nakhumicha was dismissed from the Cabinet in July 2024 during a reshuffle by President William Ruto, who later appointed her Permanent Representative to the UN-Habitat in March 2025. The reassignment was part of Executive Order No. 1 of 2025, which restructured government and foreign service roles.
Following her exit from Cabinet, Nakhumicha had revealed that she returned to farming and selling cabbages in Cherangany as she navigated financial challenges. Her public struggles prompted leaders from Western Kenya to urge President Ruto to reinstate her in government, calls that culminated in her UN posting.
The burial, which drew leaders and mourners from across the country, also became a platform for Nakhumicha to caution against leaders who attempt to divide the Luyha community. She framed unity and assertiveness as key to ensuring the region benefits fully from the Kenya Kwanza administration.
