UDA SG Hassan Omar’s Coast UDA stronghold claim has triggered fresh tension inside Kenyan politics after the outspoken leader described the region as firmly under one party and dismissed ODM as nothing more than a small outfit.
Hassan Omar did not hold back. He told supporters that the Coast now belongs to UDA and that ODM has lost its grip there. He called the rival party small and said it no longer commands the numbers it once did. The statement landed hard because many still see ODM as the voice of certain communities.
His words suggested the old loyalties have shifted and new ones have taken root. People in Mombasa and nearby counties heard the message loud and clear, and some nodded in agreement while others pushed back online.
What gave the claim extra sting was the second part of his message. Hassan Omar pointed to Luo land, where a growing list of aspirants now line up to contest seats on the UDA ticket.
In areas that once stood as ODM heartland, many faces familiar with the old party colours are switching sides. They want to run for governor, member of parliament and even county assembly posts under the new banner. That movement has left ODM looking thin on the ground in its own backyard.
Hassan Omar called it proof that ODM has shrunk to a briefcase party, a term that paints the outfit as something carried around by a few individuals rather than a wide movement with real roots.
The phrase ‘briefcase party’ spread fast. It suggests the party exists more on paper and in the hands of its top figures than in the hearts of ordinary voters. In politics that label hurts because it implies weakness and lack of grassroots support.
ODM officials have not stayed quiet. Some called the remarks disrespectful and said Hassan Omar was stirring division for his own gain. Others tried to laugh it off and insisted their party remains strong where it matters. Yet the pictures of aspirants in Luo land declaring for UDA tell a different story, and those images keep circulating.
Ordinary Kenyans have mixed feelings about the whole exchange. In Coast towns traders and boda boda riders say they have seen UDA grow in influence since the last election. Development projects and appointments have helped the party build loyalty there.
At the same time families in Kisumu and Homa Bay wonder why so many local leaders now eye the rival ticket. They remember how ODM once mobilised huge crowds in the region. Now the crowds seem smaller and the energy feels split. Hassan Omar touched a nerve by saying out loud what some had whispered for months.
The timing adds weight to his words. Kenya sits between election cycles, and parties are already positioning themselves for the next round. UDA wants to expand beyond its original base, and the Coast plus parts of Nyanza offer tempting ground.
ODM, on the other hand, must find ways to hold its traditional areas while attracting new faces. Hassan Omar knows this game well. He has moved between parties himself and understands how quickly loyalty can change when opportunities appear. His statement feels like both an observation and a challenge to ODM to wake up before more ground slips away.
Political watchers note that language matters in Kenyan politics. Terms like ‘stronghold’ and ‘briefcase party’ carry history and emotion. They remind voters of past battles and future risks. Hassan Omar used them deliberately.
He painted a picture of a shifting map where UDA gains and ODM loses. Whether the map really looks that way will show in the next by-elections and opinion surveys. For now the claim has forced conversations at tea shops in markets and in living rooms from Lamu to Migori.
Supporters of Hassan Omar say he simply spoke the truth as he sees it. They argue that voters care about results, not old slogans, and UDA has delivered in some places. Critics accuse him of exaggeration and say ODM still commands respect among workers and youth in many counties.
The debate will not end soon. Every new aspirant who crosses to UDA in Luo land will be seen as proof for one side or the other. Hassan Omar has thrown the ball into ODM court, and the party must respond with action, not just words.
