Mung’aro’s removal divides lawmakers

New chairman of the Coast Parliamenatry Group and Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff during a media briefing after his election on March 16
New chairman of the Coast Parliamenatry Group and Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff during a media briefing after his election on March 16

Divisions among Coast MPs have deepened following the election of Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga as Coast Parliamentary Group chairman last week.

His predecessor Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung'aro has dismissed the election.

Gunga has refused to be drawn into the Jubilee-ODM feud and has extended an olive branch to Mung'aro and his supporters, who have said they will not recognise the new officials.

Mwinga said he has no problem with anyone and would ensure the unity of the Coast people, which starts by uniting leaders.

Mung'aro and his group, including former secretary general Khatib Mwashetani, have rejected the new officials, saying they were irregularly elected.

Mwinga said the allegations are "gimmicks".

"We dismiss them. What we had before was an interim leadership. Now we have a substantive leadership. We could serve with an interim leadership for a whole parliamentary term," he said.

Speaking at his Kinagoni rural home on Sunday, Kinango MP Gonzi Rai said he would reconcile Mung'aro and Gunga.

"As far as I am concerned, Mung'aro is still the CPG chairman and I will sit him down with Gunga so to have an agreement. Due procedure was not followed during the election because Mung'aro ought to have convened the meeting," he said.

Gunga, who spoke on the phone from Nairobi, said he is not part of the feud between Cord and Jubilee.

He said he stood his guns at the recently concluded Malindi by-election by fielding Reuben Katana on his Kadu-Asili party's ticket.

"This argument doesn't hold any water because it started in Malindi when ODM accused me of being used by Jubilee to divide their vote by fronting the Kadu-Asili candidate. Jubilee is now claiming I'm being used by ODM to divide Coast leadership. I was duly elected CPG chairman and am hitting the road," Mwinga said.

He told Mung'aro allies off over the claims saying he was elected MP by Kaloleni voters just the same way others were elected insisting being elected on Coast based Kadu-Asili doesn't make him a lesser legislator.

"Let them know that I beat several candidates in 2013 including Cord and Jubilee's and claiming am being used to divide Coast leaders is baseless. Am the most principled politician having defied euphoria to be elected on a Coast party, therefore am the right man to foster unity among the legislators" he said.

Mung'aro who has declared interest in the Kilifi governorship race has accused Mombasa governor Hassan Joho of hatching the plot to finish him politically but has insisted that Joho's ploy will never succeed.

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