Pro Ruto MP claims Coast leaders are cowards

Kilifi North MP Dr Owen Baya. [Maureen Ongala, Standard]

Kilifi North MP Dr Owen Baya has accused senior politicians in Coast of selfish conduct and inability to give political direction to the region's residents.

He accused the leaders he did not name of hijacking his proposal for Coast to secede from the Kenyan state and failing to guide local residents over the 2022 succession matter.

According to the first time MP believed to be close to deputy president William Ruto, most leaders in Coast prefer self-preservation and promotion and avoid any endeavour that taxes the mind or calls for sacrifice.

The legislator claimed senior  politicians are not fighting for the interests of the region but their own political interests that will make them fight to become Presidents in 2022 and this has left the public to question on the region’s political fate.

Speaking on Saturday to journalists at in Dabaso ward during a ground breaking ceremony for constructions of two classrooms at a newly established Sita primary school Baya accused them for not supporting his call for secession and also the need for a Coast Party that will be used to address the region political interests.

“I have been in the forefront since the beginning of the year to give our political direction as the people of Coast. First we saw that as Coast people who had gone through a lot on injustices and I called for secession because we wanted to use it to be recognized politically and also to get what belongs to us by right and I pushed the matter up to the floor of the National Assembly. But we were called as leaders in Mombasa to discuss on secession and that is when it was hijacked and everything stopped,” said Baya.

He added: We realized that the call for secession would take time and we decided to come up with another strategy and this was to form a Coast party which take up all our grievances and political concerns and all the leadership and put them together so that we can fight for all that we are looking for when we are in our own party.

Baya said the politicians have forgotten that Coast people are not interested in leading the Nation alone but also they need to be delivered from the injustices that they are going through for decades now.

“My seniors whom I respect so much do not want to give a clear direction and for them the best way to go politically and get what is going to benefit them. They want to become the President of the Nation but they are forgetting that as Coast people, we are not after the Presidency alone but we need to get out of out of our problems. Political Mobilization of the people is very important than an selfish individual, “he said

He said that the call for a Coast party is also past tense contrary to the wish of the people because the leaders do not want to associate themselves with their own party for fear of losing their dream.
“They have also killed the call for a Coast party is no more but the Coast people are ready for their own party. But the political history of our Country is clear and it tells us that all the famous politicians started at home. They did political mobilization before moving to other places and in politics only a fool does not change his mind but in politics whoever is your enemy today could be the best partner you will have tomorrow,” said Baya.

He said it is time for the region to go as a team in order to benefit and move politically and stop playing politics of safety.

“We do not need friends to partner politically; politics does not need friends but people with the same mentality and mind. It is time for our leaders to stop being cowards because they lack the courage to say this is where we are heading. They fear that when they differ with Raila no one will be elected and that is why want to play it safe,” he said.

He added: They told me that I lose my political career if I do things against Raila, but what they do not know is that we are the same people who taught them how to sing Raila and Tialala and we are the same people who will teach them how to sing another song and it needs courage.

These sentiments come at a time when a section of Coast political leaders have been accused of being working with Deputy President William Ruto and supporting his 2022 Presidential bid.