From matatu tout to MCA: The story of Seth Ochieng Kanga

By Peter Ochieng 

The streets of Kisumu will never forget that long before he became the second Market Milimani Member of the County Assembly (MCA) in 2017, Seth Ochieng Kanga, alias Adui Nyang’ was a matatu tout.

For seven years, he eked out a living as an officer at the now defunct Kisumu municipal council. City, town and municipal councils were automatically succeeded by county governments when the 2010 constitution became operational.

Upon leaving the municipal council, the Kisumu bus park became Kanga’s economic base for 20 years. “I was a tout at the bus park for around 20 years,” Kanga, whose dholuo moniker, Nyang’ means crocodile, told this writer.  

While at the Kisumu bus park, he brushed shoulders with various politicians, among them Job Omino and Ken Obura, in the end finding his way and footing into politics. In 2013, Seth Ochieng Kanga joined the race for the Market Milimani MCA seat.

He contested for the ODM party ticket, losing to Eddy Anayo, who went on to be elected the first Ward Representative. After the loss during the ODM party primaries, Anyang’ decided to stay put and patiently wait for his turn.

And without any struggle, the turn came. Ahead of the 2017 general elections, the incumbent, Anayo declared that he would not defend his seat, deciding to concentrate on his businesses. Exit Anayo, enter Kanga.

With the ODM party ticket in his hands, he literally strolled to victory in 2017, before successfully defending his seat in 2022. Speaking about his first term in office, Kanga said construction of Maendeleo market, in partnership with the county government of Kisumu is one of the mega projects he is proud to have initiated and completed.

The market hosts up to 400 traders. “We also embarked on massive cleaning of Kisumu City. Now, the city is known as Europe,” added the second term MCA. Kisumu has severally been ranked as one of the cleanest cities in Africa.

Kanga, the majority whip in the County Assembly of Kisumu has already declared his bid for the Kisumu East Parliamentary seat. “We sat down and the people told me to come back home and vie for the Parliamentary seat,” he said.

He wants to unseat the incumbent, Shakeel Shabbir. Onyango wuon mogo which loosely translates to Onyango the owner flour is among the longest serving MPs in the 13th Parliament.

The former Kisumu mayor was first elected in 2007 on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party ticket. Despite the change of political tides every electioneering year, Shabbir has endeared himself to the masses of Kisumu East due to what residents say is the ability to listen to them, and provide basic essentials such as flour when called upon to do so.

If elected in 2027, Kanga said it will become business unusual as his focus will be improving education standards in the area.

“Very simple things like school buses which can make it easy for students and teachers to travel around, are not there yet we have the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF),” lamented Kanga.

In Kisumu East schools, the MCA added, education and co-curriculum initiatives are down. “As a good leader, you are supposed to show people how to fish, but not to give them fish,” he added.

“Giving people unga is not the solution. You saw recently when Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) General Francis Ogolla died, people never ate during his funeral. That means giving people flour is not the solution.”

Kanga, the self-proclaimed governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s ‘praise and worship leader’ in the Kisumu County Assembly said as the only equalizer, investing in education is the only sure way of effecting far reaching economic transformations in Kisumu East.

Concerning his party leader, Raila Odinga’s bid to become the next African Union Commission (AUC) chairman, Kanga said Odinga will not exit Kenya’s political scene, even if he gets elected.

He dismissed claims that his supporters, him being one of them, will become orphans if Raila lands the seat, owing to the fact that he will have to spend most of his time in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, AUC’s headquarters.

“Even if he gets, Addis Ababa is only two hours from Nairobi. He will just come back. He can be in Addis at 8am, he flies to Nairobi, then Kisumu and in the evening, he goes back,” Kanga maintained.

Elections for next AUC chairman will be held next year. Odinga has been touted as the front runner to replace the outgoing Moussa Faki Mahamat.