Angry P.L.O Lumumba leaves stage in protest after Governor Nyong'o late arrival at conference

• The incident happened during the 18th TICH Annual Scientific Conference held at the Mama Grace Onyango Cultural and Social Centre in Kisumu.

Constitutional lawyer Prof. PLO Lumumba speaking on the JKLive show on March 15, 2023.

Renowned legal scholar and orator Prof P.L.O. Lumumba walked off the stage during a conference in Kisumu after organisers asked him to pause his speech to usher in Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o.

The incident happened during the 18th TICH Annual Scientific Conference held at the Mama Grace Onyango Cultural and Social Centre in Kisumu.

Lumumba was addressing the conference on Africa’s persistent struggle to access vital research and research materials when organisers asked him to pause his speech as the governor arrived.

“And that is part of the African problem,” Lumumba told the audience after the interruption.

“I’m now being stopped because the governor is coming. What is important, is it what we are saying or that the governor is coming."

The visibly frustrated scholar said the interruption itself demonstrated the very problem he had been discussing.

“I’ll stop, but this is the kind of thing that holds Africa back. The governor knew that we had a meeting; he chose to come to interrupt, and we were here celebrating. I’ll stop,” he said.

Lumumba then stepped away from the microphone and walked off the stage, leaving the venue as the Governor of Kisumu still greeted people and was being ushered in.

The short clip capturing the incident has since circulated online, turning what might otherwise have been an awkward moment at a scientific conference into a wider conversation about political protocol, public figures and the treatment of intellectual spaces.

The incident has also reignited debate over Kenya’s long-standing VIP culture, where the arrival of a senior political leader can sometimes take precedence over an ongoing programme.

In public life, especially in Africa, the entry of a senior politician is often accompanied by formal acknowledgements, pauses in proceedings and a shift in attention towards the visiting leader.

For many observers, Lumumba’s reaction represented a rejection of a culture where political status can take precedence over the proceedings, particularly because he was delivering a keynote address at a scientific conference centred on academic and research discussions.

Many noted that interrupting an academic or scientific address undermines the substance of the forum as it prioritizes political hierarchy over knowledge, research, and critical discourse.

Others also pointed out that halting scheduled proceedings for late-arriving public officials reinforces a culture of entitlement - where politicians expect the public, event timelines, and professionals to bend around their personal schedules.

Therefore, frustrated with entitlement, a significant portion of the public viewed Lumumba’s walkout as a long-overdue stand against political worship.

X user Benta Owino said: "It is now time we stop treating these politicians as gods... PLO's speeches are very educative and should not be interrupted simply because a politician has arrived."

Another Kenyan wrote: "Nobody should interrupt because it's the most important thing then... Nyong'o should have demonstrated that he's a true scholar by keeping time and projecting the true expectation of an accomplished leader. He must have been seated before time to commence the lectures. He should have demonstrated that he was ready for the lecture."

Yet another Kenyan wrote, "Lumumba’s walkout was the real keynote lesson of the day. Time management and respect for academic spaces over political patronage. A governor arriving late to an academic conference should quietly take his seat at the back, not stop the speaker!"

Political protocol often requires local leaders to be formally acknowledged when they attend public events, especially within their jurisdictions.

However, the incident has raised questions over where such courtesy should end and whether it should come at the expense of an ongoing intellectual discussion.