In the recent times there has been talks concerning the politics of the Kenyan coast. This is a result of the humiliation the Odm party faced during the Msambweni by election where the Deputy President William Ruto’s candidate carried the day.
Due to the rising political temperatures at the coast, it has forced Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho who is known to be the region’s kingpin to speak up, below is his statement.
“A group of current and former members of parliament from the Coast has for some
time now been going around the region talking of forming a new political party
supposedly to champion the interests of residents. There is nothing new in this push. It
is the usual case of people trying to earn a living through fraud and conmanship whose
godfather Kenyans know only too well.
The people behind this push are leaders and others rejected in the previous elections
who have essentially sold their souls to Deputy President William Ruto and joined his
campaign of fraud and lies that all sensible Kenyans know is doomed to fail.
For a start, there has never been a shortage of political parties formed locally in the
Coast with a view to pushing the agenda of local residents. Formation of a new political
party will only serve to divide the people further and undermine the unity that the
region has enjoyed in ODM and which has enabled them push our agenda as a united
region on the national stage. If the leaders mean well for te region, they would push for
greater unity instead of more divisions.
But, like their sponsor William Ruto, these leaders lack the courage to say they have
moved and they are ready to surrender their current positions and seek fresh mandate.
Like their sponsors William Ruto, these people want to say their parties have failed the
people but still continue earning salaries and allowances on the basis of a mandate
given to them by voters loyal to the same parties.
In other words, these are fraudsters and conmen. We are talking about people who say
Jubilee Party and ODM have failed the people of the Coast, but the same leaders
continue to earn salaries on the basis of votes cast for Jubilee and ODM in 2017. They
cannot and will not quit and seek fresh mandate because they are not sure they will win
and they are not sure they are ready to be out of power.
As ODM Deputy Party Leader who has seen the Coast region gain substantially in
development projects since President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila
Odinga joined hands, I can state without doubt that the greatest enemy to the
development of the Coast was and will always be, Ruto and the people eating from his
plate, who now claim to want to form a party.
Since Ruto and his team got pushed aside in the ruling party, on-going development
projects that have potential to change the fortunes of the region have continued to flow
to the Coast from the National Government. In the same period, we have also seen the
emergence of meaningful engagement between the National Government and county
governments in the Coast. In addition, we are set to receive more funds through
increased devolved funding to the counties and the creation of Ward Development
Fund if the BBI proposals sail through in the referendum. Ruto and the team that
claims to want to form a party for the Coast opposes the BBI and its proposals to bring
more money to the counties and wards. They want to keep the Coast poor so that the
Coast can vote for them. We can’t and won’t allow it. The Coast remains solidly behind
the reform agenda fronted by the BBI.
I therefore advise these leaders, who are acting for the DP, to cut down on drama, join
him and the party he has already formed and let the people of the Coast choose
between their sponsor Ruto and the agenda being pushed by President Kenyatta and
ODM leader Raila Odinga. In addition, I advise these leaders and their sponsor to be
courageous enough and quit their parties then seek fresh mandate or stay out of power
until 2022 if they no longer believe in their parties. Kenya and the Coast will not
progress through fraud and lies. We need honest and principled leadership.”
