Politician Aisha Jumwa.
A former Gender Cabinet Secretary has ditched President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance to join Senate Speaker Amason Kingi's Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party.
In an interview with Nation, Ms Aisha Jumwa said she decided to support Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), a homegrown party.
“I have declared my stand, and what is remaining is to officially join PAA and take the office as the deputy party leader,” she said.
In 2022, she played a key role in ensuring that PAA joined the Kenya Kwanza coalition after leaving Azimio la Umoja.
Before deciding to join PAA, Ms Jumwa said she had held in-depth discussions with the party leadership and her supporters. She said that it was normal for politicians to switch parties during each election cycle.
“Even President Ruto has been shifting parties, today, he is in UDA. Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua was in UDA, and today he is in DCP, and that's how things go,” she said.
She said that PAA will be out to secure all five elective positions in Kilifi County: Governor, Senator, Woman Representative, and Members of Parliament in the seven constituencies and the 35 wards of the county.
Aisha Jumwa, then the MP for Malindi, during a Kenya Kwanza campaign rally at Karatina town on May 21, 2022.
Ms Jumwa said that her decision to leave UDA for PAA was triggered by President Ruto’s silence on his party (UDA) when he visited the Coast.
UDA campaigns
During the 2022 election campaigns, Ms Jumwa led the UDA campaign. She admitted that this was not an easy journey due to strong opposition from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). She said that it had been difficult for President Ruto to support the ODM party, adding that he had done so because of his love for the late Raila Odinga.
Ms Jumwa said that she was ready to face Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro (ODM) in the 2027 gubernatorial race. Kilifi has remained an ODM stronghold since 2007 and has consistently been in the opposition.
Kenya Kwanza
However, she stated that PAA would still enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with President Ruto’s party in the next coalition government and noted that many political parties were expected to work with Kenya Kwanza.
“PAA is in Kenya Kwanza, ODM has an agreement with the ruling coalition and more parties will come, so William Ruto remains the undisputed President,” she said.
“You should not be surprised to see DCP on the table because we always have pre-election and post-election agreements,” she said.
She dismissed suggestions that the PAA belongs to Speaker Kingi and exists to serve his interests, stating that every party has its own image.
Former Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa addresses to residents of Kifili County during the commissioning of the construction of a market at Watamu on July 26, 2024.
Ms Jumwa was previously in ODM, which she used to clinch the Woman Representative seat in 2013 and the Malindi MP seat in 2017.
She was among the Kilifi legislators who supported Mr Kingi’s call to ditch ODM due to perceived injustices against the people of the Coast, alongside Kilifi North MP Owen Baya.
The fallout between President Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta saw Ms Jumwa remain on Dr Ruto’s side.
She said that if ODM were a coastal party, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro would be the current party leader after Mr Odinga's death. Instead, his brother, Oburu Oginga, has taken over the party leadership.
“We respected Baba and followed him, but loyalty can never be transferred,” she said.
The former Cabinet Secretary stated that PAA, among parties in the broad-based government, would emerge stronger in the 2027 General Election.
She called on the coastal region to strategise politically ahead of 2027, like other regions. She has promised to support President Ruto in 2027.
Politically divided
Ms Jumwa noted that PAA was unable to deliver to coastal people because the community was politically divided.
“If the Coast region had delivered according to the MoU then all our demands would have been met, but that did not happen because we were divided.”
“We need to come together and re-strategise if we are to benefit,” said Ms Jumwa as she officially launched her PAA campaign on Friday with rallies in the Ganze and Magarini constituencies.
"I have joined PAA today, I am on my routine campaigns, and the fire is burning. It is not going to be business as usual," she said.
In the two public meetings, Ms Jumwa rooted for PAA to be recognised as the official coastal party representing the community at the national table.
In 2021, Mr Kingi made a bold move by ditching ODM to form PAA. According to him, a non-coastal party would never address the region’s problems.
He then campaigned against ODM, accusing it of discriminating against the people of Kilifi despite their overwhelming support in 2017.
Mr Kingi claimed that the ODM party denied local women who worked tirelessly for it in 2017 a chance to serve as nominated MCAs.
According to him, the late Raila’s love for the Coast faded after the handshake with former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and it was time for the region to fight for itself.
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