‘Betrayed’ Governor Amason Kingi cuts ties with Raila Odinga
Kilifi County Governor Amason Kingi addresses journalists in Kilifi on July 30, 2021.
What you need to know:
- Mr Kingi’s rejection of Mr Odinga’s plea to drop the Coast unity talks was the straw that broke the camel's back.
- Governor Kingi has been replaced as Kilifi ODM chairman by Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire.
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has severed links with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga just five months after they disagreed about plans to form a Coast party.
Governor Kingi leaves ODM amid accusations of betrayal by Coast colleagues, who dropped plans to form a regional political party ahead of the 2022 General Election.
Mr Kingi’s rejection of Mr Odinga’s plea to drop the Coast unity talks was the last straw, even as Governors Ali Hassan Joho (Mombasa) and Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta) — earlier supporters of the regional party — quietly pulled out of the plans.
Governor Kingi was removed as Kilifi ODM chairman and replaced by Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire on Tuesday. Mr Kingi says that the Orange party has done little to develop the region.
“I urge Governor Kingi to shelve his plans of forming a Coastal party. The country does not need regional parties. We need national parties that unite Kenyans,” Mr Odinga said when he toured Kilifi last month.
Mr Kingi shunned all the meetings.
The idea of a regional party was adopted by the six governors from Coast during a meeting Mr Samboja hosted on February 10.
Mr Kingi says such a party would unite the region ahead of the vote, adding that he feels betrayed by the other governors.
Blackmail and betrayal
Sources say that shortly after the meeting, Mr Odinga met Governors Samboja and Joho, convincing them to abandon the regional party plan.
Mr Kingi and Mr Joho have not been together on any political engagement since the February meeting even as sources talk of blackmail and betrayal between the two camps.
The Taita Taveta county boss, who has since ditched Wiper in favour of ODM, wants Mr Odinga’s support to defend his seat.
ODM leader Raila Odinga (left) confers with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi during a Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) rally at Mama Ngina Park in Mombasa on January 25, 2020.
Governor Samboja has not attended Wiper meetings or hosted party leader Kalonzo Musyoka. He only did that when he took the oath of office in 2017.
He has, however, hosted Mr Odinga on numerous occasions and has worked closely with Mr Joho since his 2017 poll victory.
Whenever Mr Musyoka visits Taita Taveta, he is hosted by Deputy Governor Majala Mlagui, who serves as chairperson of the Young Wiper Democrats.
In an earlier interview, Taita Taveta Communication Director Dennis Onsarigo did not say if his boss plans to abandon Wiper.
Big influence
Mr Onsarigo, however, added that should that happen, it would be made public officially.
“Anything can happen in politics. For now, the governor is focused on fulfilling the promises he made to voters as his term draws to a close,” Mr Onsarigo said.
Governor Kingi, who has worked with Mr Odinga for close to two decades, said his contribution to ODM can’t be wished away.
He cited the 2017 General Election when ODM under his chairmanship, secured the seven Kilifi county constituency seats and those of governor, senator and woman representative.
Mr Kingi said he also ensured party candidates won the 27 of the region’s 35 county assembly seats.
Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi and Mr Mwambire have told ODM members that they would ensure the party remains strong in Kilifi, but Governor Kingi is expected to have a big influence in the outcome of the vote.
Mr Kingi says he will focus on uniting the region using a coalition made up of Shirikisho Party of Kenya, Kadu-Asili, Republican Congress Party of Kenya, Umoja Summit Party of Kenya and the Communist Party of Kenya. The alliance is called the Coast Integrated Development Initiative.
