Coast politicians change tack ahead of polls

By Njuguna mutonya

The politics of Mombasa and the wider Coast region have transformed from the big man syndrome to more inclusive, where voters are being wooed by candidates instead of being threatened with eviction by well-connected businessmen-cum-politicians.

Candidates for elective seats in Mombasa County have gone out of their way to lure different communities with positions in the County Assembly especially at the gubernatorial level where the real power in the county will reside.

Candidates for governor have even started disclosing their own line-ups for the County Assembly where the post of deputy governor (running mate) is being dangled to potential vote-catchers who are mainly from migrant communities.

While the new democratic indices seem to create the illusion of an inclusive society post March 2013, cobbling up a winning combination is being seriously hampered by the divided nature of the migrant communities who are held hostage by the ethinicised presidential campaign. Political activists are working round the clock to hammer out a working arrangement that would enable residents to vote for common regional interests and express their presidential preferences wherever they want.

This is easier said than done as exemplified by the competitive race for parliamentary seats, which have now attracted record numbers because most former occupants have up-scaled their ambitions for governor and senator seats.

Mvita MP Najib Balala and his Changamwe counterpart Ramadhan Seif Kajembe have their eyes on the senatorship while Kisauni MP Hassan Joho has thrown his gauntlet into the governor contest where he will face banker Suleiman Shahbal and former Kenya Ports Authority Managing Director Abdallah Mwaruwa as front runners. Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima seems content with his present status.

Mr Mwaruwa has already appointed Mr John Osoro – a long time Mombasa insurer and business manager as his running mate.

This has given him advantage over his competitors as he has managed to win support of migrant communities besides his Mijikenda community. For the first time since 1992, the issue of Wabara (up country folks), which was used to scare opposition voters especially during the dark Kanu days, has been relegated to the back burner. The current wave of inclusive politics has also unearthed another genie, which many pundits are claiming has been responsible for the cycle of electoral violence in Mombasa since 1992. Wealthy land owners and businessmen from the coastal region have been accused of financing rogue militant groups to displace migrant communities in Mombasa.

In 1992, the violence was centered in Likoni and Kisauni to displace opposition voters.

Inclusion

In1997, the pro-government alliance sponsored the Kaya Bombo uprising which led to deaths of more than 100 people to counter the threat by the opposition in what is billed as the most violent ethnic attack in Mombasa’s post independent history. Reports indicate about half of all registered voters in Coast are from outside the region giving credence to the claims that they pose a threat to indigenous vote seekers.

The fact that Mombasa Republican Council has since renounced violence to preach peace amongst the Miji Kenda after the “Sonko” shuttle diplomacy is a thinly veiled velvet hammer which intends to neuter this wealthy group of land-owners and businessmen, which has the blessings of government and which was achieved through a series of high-powered talks led by professionals from the region.

If the machinations of these warmongers are neutralised and a new path of seeking representation through coalition building is achieved, Mombasa County can now plan a trajectory towards real development especially if the historical grievances of the indigenous communities are addressed.

This strategy of inclusion of all communities in future county governments is being replicated elsewhere as witnessed in the assurance by Lamu County governor aspirant Issa Timamy’s of getting his running from the populous Lake Kenyatta Settlement scheme in Mpeketoni.

As the adage goes, one cannot have their cake and eat it. Politics requires acquiescing to the realistic objective situation on the ground and even years of customised thinking have at times to be jettisoned over board for society to move on. With a new Constitution and a devolved government, the Coast seems ready to own the moment and move on.

cnetafrica@gmail.com, The writer is a Mombasa-based journalist and communications consultant