• He said PAA will push for some irreducible minimums in exchange for their support to Azimio la Umoja coalition
• Kithi is battling at least six other aspirants for Kilifi county’s top seat.
The Mombasa port is key to the development of Kilifi County and any disruption to the services at the port greatly affects Kilifi, lawyer George Kithi has said.
Kithi who is also the Pamoja African Alliance lawyer, on Saturday said he will push for the resumption of port services to Mombasa within the first 100 days of his tenure, should he get elected Kilifi Governor.
He said PAA will push for some irreducible minimums in exchange for their support to Azimio la Umoja coalition, with the port services being top on their priority list.
“As Coast residents, we want assurance that the mistake (transferring port services to Naivasha) that was done will be rectified. It should never be repeated,” the lawyer said.
He spoke at Shimo la Tewa ward.
He said the Azimio government should do justice to Coast residents who have always supported ODM leader Raila Odinga, who will be the Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate in the August 9 polls.
“These are the irreducible minimums that if they refuse to accept, we will also withdraw our support.”
The Mombasa port, apart from being a key to Kenya’s economy, is also the back bone of the Coast economy.
“Our children, when they finished Form Four or university they always ran to the port for jobs. That has been taken away from us,” Kithi said.
Kithi is battling at least six other aspirants for Kilifi county’s top seat.
He will face former Devolution CAS Gideon Mung’aro, Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa, Kilifi deputy governor Gideon Saburi, Kilifi county assembly speaker Jimmy Kahindi, former Kenyan ambassador to Tanzania Dan Kazungu, and former Labour CS Kazungu Kambi.
Others are Magarini MP Michael Kingi, former Kilifi Agriculture chief officer Baha Nguma and Dzombo Mbaru.
Kithi said his administration’s focus will be addressing the squatter issue in Kilifi County.
He added that much of his focus will be on uplifting the financial fortunes of Kilifi people by initiating and lobbying for programs that can spur production and, ultimately, job creation.
“Our people need to be part of the production sector and this means that we have to negotiate and lobby for industrialization or local manufacturing within the county.”
The lawyer said Kilifi is a county with huge potential that needs right people at the helm to spur growth and development.
“Our youth have energy and huge potential. We only need to tap into it. We need to remove this idleness attitude in them and inspire them to work,” he said.