KILIFI North MP Gideon Mung’aro’s efforts to regain control of his former Malindi parliamentary seat faces stiff competition from his old political rival Justin Baya.
Baya has expressed confidence he will win the by-election.
He ran unsuccessfully against Mung’aro in the 2007 ODM party primaries but claimed the polls were rigged.
“Though I feel I was unfairly bundled out in his [Mung’aro’s] favour, I remained loyal to the party and now hope to be rewarded to become the next Malindi MP,” Baya said.
The Malindi seat became vacant after MP Dan Kazungu was last week confirmed as Mining CS.
Mung’aro represented Malindi as mayor then MP for 10 years before shifting to the newly created Kilifi North constituency where his Dabaso rural home is located.
He has vowed to teach political foes a lesson in the mini-polls expected early next year.
Mung’aro was unavailable for comment and the Star was informed he was meeting a delegation from Gede to strengthen his campaigns for Kilifi governor.
“We are in Gede where the boss is donating over 100 motorcycles before meeting a delegation of elders near the chief’s camp. I will inform him about your call once he is through,” said his aide, who declined to be named.
Efforts to determine whether Baya is supported by Governor Amason Kingi were unsuccessful as the county chief was not available for comment.
A tight supremacy battle between Kingi and Mung’aro is in the offing as the two seek to stamp their authority and be a strong candidate for Kilifi governor in 2017.
