Kaya elders endorse Sonko’s Mombasa governorship bid

Kaya elders drawn from all the nine Mijikenda sub-tribes on Friday evening conducted special prayers in Mombasa.

The prayers were to break the chains they claim have been holding back good leaders from taking up leadership positions.

The 18 Kaya elders, two from each of the nine Mijikenda sub-tribes converged at a specially made-up shrine in Utange, Kisauni constituency, where they made the special prayers.

Led by Mwinyi Mwalimu Mbwisho, the chair of the all the Kaya elders in the region, they warned individuals masquerading as Kaya elders for political mileage of dire consequences.

“Some elderly people are being bought and made to dress like us, pretending to be Kaya elders. Those are conmen,” Mbwisho said.

He said it is because of these conmen that bad leaders get to leadership positions and make the Coast region lag behind in development.

“This time we will not allow the region to have bad leaders, starting with Mombasa. We are happy to hear our son who was in Nairobi as Governor has now come to help save Mombasa.”

“We have, with one voice as all the Kayas, decided to welcome our son, Sonko, who brings peace and will bring a new dawn,” Mbwisho added.

He said the Coast people have for a long time been under the shadow of tycoons especially from Mombasa, who have been dividing the Coastal people based on tribe, religion and race.

The elders noted that Coast people have for ages been suffering under the yoke of political brokers and selfish tycoons who have been dictating which leaders should be elected where.

“Mombasa has been the biggest victim despite it being the gateway to East and Central Africa through the Mombasa port,” Mbwisho said.

That is why Mombasa has had selfish leaders, the Kaya elders’ chairperson noted.

Their Sonko endorsement came a few hours after similar sentiments were expressed by the Kikuyu Council of Elders, Mombasa chapter.

Led by chairman Henry Wanyoike, the Kikuyu elders in Mombasa said the push in the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance camp is because of Sonko’s entry into the Mombasa governor race which has made Mombasa tycoons uncomfortable.

He said some parties in the Azimio camp have been overshadowed and purposefully kept in the dark so that ODM can dominate.

“We want to be involved in all the campaign activities of Azimio as equal partners. This way, we will ensure only the most popular leaders will be elected,” Wanyoike said.

He said for the last 10 years, Mombasa has been divided into two groups of people, the natives and the non-natives, a narrative that he said has been detrimental to one group.

“This time, let us allow any leader to have that opportunity to be elected by the people who feel they will get better services from them,” said Wanyoike at the Pembe za Ndovu, along Moi Avenue.

He said Sonko has a democratic right to vie for any seat anywhere in the country because he is a Kenyan.

The entry of Sonko into the Mombasa governor race has thrown plans by ODM’s top guns into disarray, forcing them to go back to the drawing board.

Efforts to have him blocked from vying are being made.

However, Sonko, who has been to Mombasa twice since he was unveiled as Wiper’s candidate for Governor Hassan Joho’s seat in the August 9 elections, has maintained that he has no problems with any leader in Mombasa.

He will face Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM), former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar (UDA), and Mombasa deputy governor William Kingi (PAA) in the race to succeed Joho, whose final term ends on August 9.

The Kaya elders also called for peaceful elections, asking youth not to allow themselves to be used to fight others, sentiments that were echoed by the Kikuyu elders.