President Uhuru Kenyatta's tour of Coast seems to have yielded fruit after leaders from Kwale county declared their shift to Jubilee party.
Governor Salim Mvurya and deputy governor Fatuma Achani promised to mobilise residents to vote for Jubilee in 2017.
This comes after Mvurya, who was elected on a Cord ticket last month, was endorsed by opposition leader Raila Odinga for the Kwale governor's seat in next year's polls.
Achani kicked off the storm, saying it was time for development-based politics and not empty promises.
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“The politics of saying we belong to this group but there is nothing we get in return is gone. There are neighbours who think they will control Kwale politics but we have warned them that it will not be allowed,” she said on Saturday.
It is alleged that forces within ODM have threatened to deny Mvurya a ticket in the coming polls for his refusal to be loyal to party chiefs.
“Now that there is no party-hopping, and [ODM] announced that they will deny Mvurya ticket, do you want him to remain there and suffer?" she said.
She and Mvurya made the remarks while addressing a rally at the Jomo Kenyatta Primary School in Msambweni on Saturday.
Uhuru, who was in attendance, was winding up his four-day Coast tour in the area after launching several projects, including Mkanda dam water project and Msambweni referral hospital radiology equipment, renal and ICU
unit equipment built in six months by Joskim investment limited.
“Uhuru is the president and he must be respected and supported like what we are doing in Kwale for the development of our people,” Mvurya said.
He said that since Uhuru has been supportive by ensuring development projects are implemented in collaboration with the county government, he will mobilise locals to support him in 2017.
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“How you trusted me and my deputy in development, I ask you to trust us on giving you the political direction,” Mvurya said.
The Governor pledged to support the formation of the Jubilee party as long as the region is in the government come 2017.
Area woman rep Zainab Chizuga said the county has totally defected to Jubilee since opposition has not done anything good for them.
Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani said there is a need for Coast region to be in the Jubilee administration after in the next election to ensure they are also decision makers.
“Mung’aro will represent Coast region during Jubilee party launch,” he said.
Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro said that Coast has attempted being in the government for 10 years in vain through the opposition and said it is time to try Jubilee for the next five-year term.
“We want to be in the government to make decisions together and not [to be] begging like today,” he added.
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DP William Ruto asked Mvurya to ensure locals from Kwale attend the Jubilee party launch since the region has accepted to work with the government for development.
On his part, Uhuru welcomed Mvurya and his team to Jubilee, referring to him as a respected fellow.
“We did not get votes in Kwale but we are bringing development because we promised Kenyans. We are asking you to work with us because there is nothing you can do alone,” Uhuru said.