Governors upbeat on Coast party after meeting Uhuru

President Uhuru Kenyatta (second left) with governors Hassan Joho (left), Salim Mvurya and Amason Kingi (right) at State House in Nairobi. [Maxwell Agwanda]

Coast leaders are set unveil their party that hopes to lock in the region's 1.8 million voters and boost their bargaining power ahead of the next year elections.

A rare State House meeting that seems to have caught the ODM brigade by surprise on Wednesday saw President Uhuru Kenyatta reportedly reconcile Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya with his colleagues Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Amason Kingi (Kilifi). 

Sources told The Standard that the leaders also shared their insights and aspirations for the coastal people.

Uhuru is reported to have shown interest in supporting the emergence of strong regional alliances.

The leaders argued their case on why the Coast region requires a party and their fears that Joho could be short-changed in seeking the ODM presidential ticket in 2022 after party leader Raila Odinga made it clear he will declare his interest in the seat after the passage of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) referendum Bill.

“Today (Wednesday), we had a meeting with President Kenyatta at State House, together with my colleagues Joho and Mvurya,” stated Kingi.

Joho affirmed: “Together with my Kwale and Kilifi counterparts, we had a productive meeting with President Kenyatta at State House.”

Governor Mvurya, a Ruto ally, met the president on Tuesday before the Wednesday meeting with fellow governors.

President’s blessings

“The president reconciled the leaders in a bid to consolidate the Coast base. With a regional outfit, the second term leaders championing the process of party formation will have a seat at the national table,” argued an MP.

He disclosed “the governors basically sought the president’s blessings, like they did with Raila to avoid a situation that will result in witch-hunt.”

The meeting, according to our source, touched on the removal of Senator Cleophas Malala as deputy minority leader and his being replaced with Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, who is reported to play a key role in the new political formation.

“They didn’t agree with the ouster and questioned whether Raila sanctioned the same. They argued that it’s a show of sour grapes,” said the source.

Magarini MP Michael Kingi yesterday also confirmed that a new party will be unveiled soon.

Kingi had set June as the launch date but now his allies are talking about next week or early next month.

On February 1, Joho and Kingi hosted 26 MPs and senators in a hotel in Mombasa to discuss the future of the region and the issue of coastal party. Ten days later, the two leaders, together with Tana River Governor Dhado Godana, met in the home of Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja in Wundanyi.

Again, on February 20, Joho led Coast elected MPs to Lamu to popularise the BBI where he met with over 20 MPs. Kingi on his part held a meeting with MCAs in Kilifi and stepped up his push for a coastal party.

The governors discussed plans of a series of tours with the President after previous cancelled tours.

Raila recently faulted Kingi’s push for regional party.

“I was with him in 2007. I supported him for governor and now that his term is ending, I wanted him to come to national politics. He now wants to run away and is talking about Kadu Asili. ODM was good for him all along but with 2022 approaching, he is now saying another party is better,” he told him during the ODM party leader's last tour in the Coast.

The leaders are in the process of unveiling a coastal party that will include six regional based parties, with Kingi as the likely leader.

During Raila’s last visit to the Coast, Kingi  asked him: “Why is it there is no problem with other leaders having political formations and when it comes to Coast it’s a problem?”

Kingi said the Registrar of Political Parties would not register an outfit if it did not have a national face

The county bosses argued during a ‘Super Seven’ meeting at State House with Uhuru, Coast region was not represented. This was in reference to a meeting held last month between Uhuru and party leaders Raila, Charity Ngilu (Narc), Musalia Mudavadi (ANC), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) Gideon Moi (Kanu) and Moses Wetang'ula (Ford Kenya) to chart the way forward on BBI.

“No government can be created without coalitions. The leaders are scheduled to convene another meeting with the president. He was excited with the idea of the regional party,” said a confidant of one of the Coast governors.

The meeting touched on ODM's popularity in Coast and forays by the Deputy President William Ruto. They argued that since they will still be supporting Raila for the top seat, the new party will lock out Ruto.