Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) that is believed to be the brainchild of Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi is registering members and opening offices in all the 47 counties in line with the requirement from the office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP).
If PAA finally gets its certificate, it will join the list of other four political parties in the Coast region. Other political parties in the Coast region include Kadu Asili, Shirikisho Party of Kenya (SPK), Umoja Summit and the Republican Council (RC).
But even while there is a lot of frenzy and people registering for the new party in masses, one question still remains; Will PAA fill the gap that is the unity of the Coast region or it will be the same scenario of a divided region with political parties that have remained baggage even to the coast people themselves.
The Coastal Unity has eluded the region since independence and politicians have carried the big blame for the same.
When Governor Kingi set the ball rolling after announcing that time was ripe for the region to be united and bargain for a national cake in the 2022 General Election, the main focus for the region was to bring all the coastal parties together and form an alliance.
But that did not happen as each of the parties hold on to their strings and the decision by the governor to start the journey meant an additional more party to the list.
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Already and to show that the journey of unity has started on a rather sour note, some of the regional politicians have said that they will not board PAA since they are yet to understand its ideologies to the coastal people.
A big political game is in handy at the Coast. As PAA tries to cement its focus that is meant to unite the region, the Raila Odinga Led-Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), once a big dominant of the Coast politics is out to make a spoil and retain its dominance.
Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is also rooting for support in the region.
In Kilifi for example, UDA’s point people are Kilifi North MP Owen Baya and Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa. Kaloleni MP Paul Katana is said to be also supporting UDA. He is yet to make this public although he is a very close ally of the DP.
When Governor Kingi announced his plans of forming a new political party, he was immediately removed as the ODM chairman in Kilifi, a position he held in the 2017 General Election when ODM swept almost all the political seats in the entire county.
He was replaced with Ganze MP Teddy Mwambire, a close ally of Mr Odinga. Mr Mwambire has since brushed off PAA, insisting that it has nothing for the people of Kilifi.
In March this year, Governor Kingi fell out with his ODM boss then Raila after telling him that it was time the region moved out to form its own political psrty. Mr Odinga never took that lightly and their open exchange of words during a rally in Ganze was the genesis of what is currently happening in the region.
However, the big question which remains to be answered is how PAA will succeed where Kadu Asili and all other political parties from the region failed. Who will blink fast and get the masses to move on.
