Raila, Mudavadi face off in Coast

By STANDARD ON SUNDAY TEAM

Mombasa will be the testing ground for the commitment to clean politics by leaders in the Orange Democratic Movement and the United Democratic Forum.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Deputy PM Musalia Mudavadi are scheduled to hold separate rallies today in Likoni and Tononoka respectively.

Publicly the leaders of the two parties talk of a ceasefire, with ODM’s Secretary General urging his party members to be “peace ambassadors”. However, there are indications that the toning down of political rhetoric in the past week may just be lull before a bigger storm.

Sources say ODM wants to hold back its ammunition until a more opportune time. There are signs, however, many of the old political tricks used at public rallies are in play. 

The Orange party has been accused of attempting to book all major venues in Mombasa in an apparent attempt to cripple UDF in the coastal town. There are also claims some 200 youth have been ferried to the town ahead of Raila’s rally, sparking memories of the recent confrontation in Sabatia.

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Calls for Musalia to quit the Deputy PM position after defecting from ODM are expected be on the agenda. While many concede the Orange party has little chance of forcing the Sabatia MP out in Parliament, they hope to make his stay as uncomfortable as possible in a campaign of “political harassment”.

On Saturday, police divisional commanders in Mombasa were asked to beef up security at the Tononoka grounds over fears of heckling and hostility towards Musalia from the hired youth.

Equal protection
The officers have instructed the General Service Unit (GSU) personnel to be deployed to protect the parallel rallies. Coast PPO Aggrey Adoli said both rallies will be accorded equal protection with the PM’s rally being manned by officers from Likoni and Enuka police station while Mudavadi’s will be manned by police officers from Makupa, Kisauni, Changamwe and Central police stations.

Adoli said the standing order was that police officers must be deployed in all political rallies. He denied allegations that Musalia’s rally has been given preferential treatment. The PPO warned politicians against allowing their followers to heckle each other.  Addressing a press conference in Mombasa, Musalia said his party will push Parliament to hold discussions with the separatist Mombasa Republican Council.

But the outlawed MRC fired back immediately warning through Secretary General Hamza Randu that “we are not ready to listen to anybody”, Randu said MRC will not cooperate in any discussions initiated by Parliament.

Musalia promised that his party would sponsor a Motion, through Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni, to establish a select committee of Parliament to discuss issues behind the MRC’s emergence.

“The parliamentary select committee shall, among other issues, seek to offer justice to the disaffected and nurture the integrity of our great country as a united nation,” Mudavadi said at the Travellers Beach Hotel, Mombasa.

The Deputy PM, who held the Local Government portfolio before he left ODM, also said UDF will initiate changes to the Miscellaneous Amendment Bill currently before Parliament to exempt sitting councilors and MPs from having to meet the new educational qualifications needed to run for office.

MPs present at the press briefing included Justus Kizito, Abu Chiaba, George Nyamweya, Abdikadir Mohamed, Katoo Ole Metito, George Khaniri and Gonzi Rai.

And Saturday ODM MPs held massive street rallies across Kilifi, Kwale and Mombasa in a show of force of its strength in the Coast province. They were rallying the masses in a region where the party swept seats in the 2007 polls but has been rocked by defection of some leaders like Mvita MP Najib Balala and emergence of separatist movements and terrorist attacks.

Aboard several trucks draped in orange with blaring music the MPs also drummed support for the Prime Minister Raila Odinga beseeching the public for his election at the next elections as they prepared the ground for today’s rally to be addressed by the premier at Likoni.

“This time around, we must not slip again,” said Transport assistant minister Ali Hassan at Mwembe Tayari in Mombasa, referring to 2007. “Let us elect Raila Odinga as our president. This man is the right leader of this country. His political party cuts across the whole country.”

Waving party flags thousands and chanting Raila’s praises supporters danced and banners as they cheered the nine MPs swept through parts of Kilifi County on the North Coast culminating in a rally at Mwembe Tayari in Mvita Constituency of Mombasa town.

They addressed supporters at Mtwapa, Shanzu, Bombolulu and VoK areas of Kilifi and Mombasa Counties. In the afternoon the road show was staged in Diani area of Kwale County, which ended in a fundraiser for women groups. Joho said Coast is still an ODM stronghold and added the voters here still regard Raila as fit for president.

Others in the entourage were John Mbadi, Rachel Shebesh, Millie Odhiambo, Manson Nyamweya, Magerer Langat, Ababu Namwamba, Ramadhan Kajembe and Margaret Wanjiru.

Joho told his supporters to prepare themselves to vote in their president Odinga in the next general elections. Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba said recent defections in the party will not weaken it.

Reporting by Philip Mwakio, Willis Oketch and Juma Kwayera.