MP Umulker Harun condemns stigmatisation of the Kenyan-Somali community
By Luke Oluoch, October 1, 2025Nominated Member of Parliament (MP) Umulkher Harun has condemned the discrimination directed at the residents from the North-eastern regions, especially those of Somali origin.
Speaking to a local TV on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Harun stated that Kenyans of Somali origin are not under an obligation to prove their identity to any one.
She quizzed why, unlike the Masaai, who reside both in Kenya and Tanzania, they are seldom discriminated against by being pressed if they are Kenyan or Tanzanian.
Discrimination
“We come from a community that has been sidelined for a long time. We have communities that also come from the borders. Do you ever hear a Maasai saying, ‘I am a Kenyan Maasai’? They are found in Kenya and Tanzania, just as the Somalis are found in Djibouti and Ethiopia. Why do we have to identify ourselves as Kenyan Somalis?. As a Kenyan, I don’t have to prove my identity to anybody,” she quizzed.
Harun, who revealed that it took her two years to acquire her national ID, asked Kenyans to change their perception of the other minority groups, such as the Indians, who form part of the larger homogeneous Kenyan society.
While noting the strides made by the political regime to put the marginalised regions on par, Harun also challenged politicians and netizens to strive towards fostering unity and cohesion instead of divisions.
Diverse country
“We are a big, diverse country, and it is about time other Kenyans understand that. We need to bring people together. Politicians and online users should contribute to this by prudent use of the platforms in their domain.
“Nowadays, people only tend to care about what is trending with little regard to the benefits and the dangers posed by a particular subject. Politics and tribe are emotive, and how we handle such matters determines the impact we can have in the country,” she added.
The MP spoke of the increased balkanisation of the Somali people, noting that the community has had to bear the brunt of a wrong it ought not to.
Adding:
“If we have weakened systems, the Somalis should not be the ones to be thrown under the bus for it. We also have other communities that are in Kenya illegally; it’s not just the Somali, and we should work to fix our systems, not to discriminate against a group of people,” she emphasised.
“Our conversation should be on how we promote nationalism without vilifying a group,” she added.