Kingi cannot form a political party-MP Baya

The calls by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi to form a coast-based political party is based on self-interest, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya has said.

Speaking at Juwaba hall on Monday when he issued bursary cheques worth Ksh 7 million, Baya said Kingi cannot steer the region in forming a political party.

“I know Kingi very well. He cannot form a political party. Kingi has realized that his political life is coming to an end so he has coined a plot so that he can remain relevant. He has discovered that he is in political stagnation. He cannot move forward nor move backwards,” said Baya

Baya said Kingi jumped to the idea after he (Baya) announced that he will launch a party in March this year.

“If you go around Kilifi county, you will see so many unfinished projects. That is who Kingi is. He will start something but he will not complete it. When I said I will launch my party in March he said he would launch his in June and now he has changed to March. If he is genuine he would have asked me to join hands so that we can work together. He has never consulted me,” said Baya

Also Read: Coast leaders fight over party

During his inauguration in 2017 Kingi promised to go to a retreat with his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho to agree on who will run for the presidency between the two. To date, no announcement has been made by the two on the outcome of the retreat.

Coast political party

The calls by Kingi to form a political party started is not new.

In 2014, during the then Kilifi north MP Gideon Mung’aro’s homecoming party, Kingi together with 33 MPs from the region promised to come up with a political party that will field a presidential candidate in 2017.

The leaders dubbed it Dabaso declarations.

“It is not that we form a party to bargain for power sharing. Let us go for the real thing; the presidency of this country. Who said that coast region cannot produce a president of this country?” Kingi asked.

Mungaro was tasked by the leaders to chair the team that was to be formed to work on the strategies which they said were of its kind and never seen in the history of coastal politics.

Also Read: [Opinion] Which way Coast politicians?

Mung’aro who was then chairman of the coast parliamentary group asked for the leaders to come together for the common cause of forming the party that will work towards the benefit of the people in the coast region.

“As coast leaders our stand is that we should work as a team and then work on modalities of forming a party that will have the voice of the coast people. This will guarantee us the bargaining power in the next government,” said Mung’aro.

In a show of unity, leaders who included MCAs, MPS, senators and governors vowed to write a history this time by having a presidential candidate from the coast region.

What followed was a fallout between Kingi and Mung’aro that led to the dewhipping of Mung’aro from the minority whip in the national assembly.

Mung’aro ditched ODM and joined Jubilee Party.

Kingi then led an attack on Mung’aro and coast based political parties.

He accused Mung’aro of planning to sell out the region to Jubilee Party.

Kingi also dismissed the idea of forming a coast based party referencing how Shirikisho under the leadership of Chirau Ali Mwakwere was ‘sold’ to PNU.

He rallied people to support ODM and vote six piece.

The calls led to ODM winning all the political seats in Kilifi county save for three out of 35 county assembly seats.

Baya said the idea to form a political party is time barred.

“It took me two years to form the political party. I had already managed to set up the prerequisite offices in 24 counties. We were ready to get the certificate but Kingi mobilized some people to petition the registrar of political parties not to register the party so the only option we had was to start afresh. Kingi is still in talks with different parties to form one party. He has no time for that,” said Baya