United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary General Hassan Omar has taken issue with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen’s decision to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, warning that the move risks alienating Kenya’s Muslim community and its allies abroad.
Speaking at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, during a solidarity rally for Palestine, Omar said the gazettement did not reflect the position of many Muslims in Kenya and across the globe.
“I saw my brother gazette the Muslim organisation as a terrorist group. I do not share that position. If anything, we should instead consider gazetting the Zionist State of Israel as a terrorist organisation,” Omar remarked, drawing applause from sections of the gathering.
He further urged Kenya to rethink its foreign policy stance, particularly its ties with Israel, insisting the country stood to gain more by strengthening relations with the wider Muslim world.
“Kenya has more strategic interests in the Muslim world than it does in Israel. Let us influence Kenya’s policy so that we disengage from Israel both politically and economically,” Omar added.
The controversy follows Murkomen’s decision late last week to gazette both the Muslim Brotherhood and Hizb-ur-Tahrir as terrorist organisations under the 2025 Prevention of Terrorism Order. According to the notice issued on September 19, the orders will remain in effect indefinitely unless revoked or overturned by a court.
Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential Islamist movements globally, with branches across the Middle East and beyond. While it has positioned itself as a political and social reform organisation, critics accuse it of breeding extremism and exploiting religion for political gain. It has been outlawed in several countries, including some majority-Muslim states.
Murkomen’s decision has stirred debate in both political and religious circles, with supporters citing the Brotherhood’s history of radicalisation, while critics like Omar see the move as politically insensitive and misaligned with Kenya’s diplomatic interests.
