Written By Ramadhan Kambi 📝
A coalition has been formed between four political parties aimed at ensuring they win the majority seats from Governors to Members of county assembly in the region during the August 9 General elections.
Pamoja African Alliance which is associated with Governor Amason Kingi, Umoja Summit, Kadu Asili, and Shirikisho party resolved to work together after Mijikenda Kaya elders brokered the process to ensure the parties come together.
The Coalition was brokered by Mijikenda Kaya elders who summoned all the Coast leaders and political parties from the region to ask them to unite so as to work as a team to deliver majority seats in the oncoming general elections.
Initially, three Coastal parties had formed a coalition called Ukombozi wa Majimbo composed of Umoja Summit Party, Kadu Asili, and Shirikisho who also have a presidential candidate.
Last week they visited the Kaya elders to get blessings and show the elders their presidential candidate Comedian Walter Mong’are alias Nyambane.
However, During the meeting held at the Magarini Cultural center, the Kaya elders said there was a need for all regional parties and leaders to unite and summoned them giving them one week to appear before the elders.
After a more than three-hour meeting held at the Centre and attended by the Spokesman of PAA Lucas Maitha together with the Spokesman of Ukombozi wa Majimbo they announced that they had agreed to form a grand coalition and would work together in campaigns and the general election.
Other leaders invited did not show up.
The Kaya elders were concerned that for Coast to have a strong political base the leaders must work together to deliver as many seats as possible as the reason the region has lagged behind for many years was due to divisions.
Maitha a former Malindi Member of parliament and now spokesman of PAA who was representing Governor Amason Kingi said all the parties will be campaigning on one platform together from now henceforth so as to ensure they win many seats.
Addressing journalists after the deliberation he said they are now going to work on the modalities of how the coalition will work.
Key among the contentious issues that would be factored on the modalities will be agreeing on the fielding of candidates such that where a party has strong candidates the other parties will support him or her so as to ensure they win with a landslide.
Other modalities would be the factor of presidential candidate to support in which Maitha said the three parties have their own while PAA was yet to sign an agreement with any presidential candidate though they have been aligning themselves with Azimio party led by Raila Odinga as the flagbearer.
“We thank the elders for summoning us we have heeded their orders and came to listen to their concerns we have agreed to work together with the other parties in the other meeting we will agree on the modalities on how to work together,” he said.
On his part, the spokesman of Ukombozi wa Majimbo thanked the elders for summoning them with the agenda of unity of Coast ahead of the elections.
He said the elders were not happy to see leaders forming regional parties and go as a divided team.
“Each region is now coming together with a view to going to the elections united as a team so we have come together to ensure we are united to avoid infighting,” he said.
Chengo said they have a presidential candidate as Ukombozi wa Majimbo but are in talks with PAA to see if they can support their candidate as they do not have a presidential candidate but have one who they support.
From now henceforth he said all the conflicts have been put aside for the betterment of the unity and success of the region.
Tsuma Nzai the Coordinator of Mijikenda Kaya Elders said they wanted the region to have a stand and ensure the leaders are respected.
He said as kaya elders they called the political leaders so as to forge the unity of the region the same way other regions are planning.
Nzai said they want all candidates from the region to contest with the regional parties so as to strengthen the region’s political voice.
“We thank the leaders for respecting the summons of the Kaya elders those who did not come because we had invited all Coastal political leaders including those who joined other political parties such as ODM, UDA, we saw they did not turn up and we condemn the move when one is summoned by elders he must come,” he said.
Nguma Charo a youth leader and Kaya fungo Spokesman said he was happy the leaders have heeded to calls of elders to forge unity in the region.
He said their aim is to see politicians vying for the seats in the Coast-based coastal parties.
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