Call for six-piece voting angers other candidates

Raila Odinga's running mate Martha Karua [centre] in Mombasa County. [Omondi Onyango, Standard]

Sibling rivalry within Azimio at the Coast has intensified in the constituencies after the coalition successfully zoned the six governor seats in the region.

In the arrangement, ODM has fielded governor aspirants in Mombasa (Abdulswamad Nassir), Kwale (Prof Hamadi Boga), Tana River (Governor Dhadho Godhana) and Kilifi (Gideon Mung'aro) while Jubilee has been left with Lamu (Governor Fahim Twaha) and Taita Taveta (Governor Granton Samboja).

But the governor candidates decision to push for six-piece vote in their respective counties has sparked anger from candidates from parties within the coalition. In recent rallies, ODM Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said the Orange party will push for a six-piece vote even though there are candidates from other coalition partners.

Joho who is the ODM deputy party leader said candidates from parties that support Raila’s presidency were free to invite their national leaders to campaign for them.

Yesterday ODM Mombasa branch chairman Mohamed Khamisi said the party's candidates were popular in the six constituencies and other Azimio parties should withdraw their nominees.

“Aspirants from other Azimio affiliate parties can only join us when we have presidential rallies. We do not want joyriders in ODM governor campaigns,” he said.

He said the ODM leadership in Mombasa will support zoning to end sibling rivalry in Azimio as long as it will not lead to any fall outs that could affect the presidential votes.

Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi said it was too late to start pushing people to abandon their quest to contest elective seats.

"It will be a tall order given some of these aspirants have spent resources in the campaigns. It is true that ODM is popular in Mombasa and Coast but Azimio will not have enough appointment seats to promise everyone. Let's meet at the ballot box," said Mwinyi who is facing fierce competition from other Azimio parties.  

Jubilee aspirant for Changamwe constituency Abdi Daib said that all Azimio candidates in Mombasa were behind the ODM governor nominee Mr Abdulswamad Nassir but vowed to battle for the seat.

He said the ODM leadership in Mombasa should stop sidelining candidates from other Azimio affiliate parties during the presidential campaigns.

“I support Nassir but at the constituency level I will fight against all candidates including ODM,” said Daib, adding that he will not step down for the so-called popular candidate.

In Changamwe, Mwinyi is also facing Wiper's Munywoki Kyalo.