- The Jubilee Mombasa team said going by ODM’s actions, it seems they have a hidden agenda within the coalition.
- They want President Uhuru Kenyatta to intervene and resolve the matter.
Image: LABAN WALLOGA
Some Jubilee members in Mombasa have warned their ODM counterparts in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition that they no longer have monopoly over Raila Odinga.
They have accused Raila’s party of sidelining them in Azimio la Umoja activities in Mombasa, a move they said undermines the unity championed by the coalition.
Speaking during a strategising meeting with women leaders and grassroots mobilisers at the Sacred Heart High School hall in Mombasa, they called on their party leader President Uhuru Kenyatta to weigh in on the matter.
“Raila comes to Mombasa and none of us is involved in the programme. We only read about it in news,” said Janet Mirobi, popularly known as Mama Jawambe.
She complained that since Uhuru and Raila formed the Azimio coalition, the Jubilee party in Mombasa has been left out in the affairs of the coalition.
She said going by ODM’s actions in Mombasa, it seems they have a hidden agenda within the coalition.
“We have a problem in Mombasa because Jubilee is not being recognised as an equal partner. Uhuru needs to tell us what the deal is,” she said.
Mirobi also cautioned the ODM party leader against calling for six-piece voting in Mombasa, saying this undermines other aspirants from parties within the coalition.
“Raila is now baba to many, when they (ODM) call for six-piece, what are they trying to show us?” she posed.
Bizena Swaleh, a resident of Majengo echoed Mirobi’s sentiments saying ODM was bulldozing their agenda within the coalition by preaching six-piece.
“Baba (Raila) cannot call for six -piece and pretend to preach Azimio, he needs to weigh his words. Azimio is made up of other parties too, not ODM only,” she said.
She alleged there was a plot by powerful individuals within the county allied to ODM planning to use the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to rig the August election in favour of ODM.
Swaleh alleged the powerful individuals were pushing for their relatives and cronies to be stationed as election officials within polling stations across the county.
“We are calling for immediate investigations of IEBC officials in Mombasa, Uhuru must hear this and intervene,” she said.
Amina Ridhwan, the Jubilee women league leader in Mombasa reiterated that the party was ready to hit the ground running to campaign for the Azimio Presidential candidate.
She said as a party, they will continue to push for the gender rule to ensure more women get space within the political sphere.
Ridhwan further hailed Raila’s move to pick Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua as his running mate saying it demonstrated goodwill by the Azimio principals that its government was ready to accommodate women.
“Picking Karua as running mate gives us confidence, she is a strong, determined and a straightforward woman. We have no doubt she will deliver on her mandate,” Ridhwan said.
Jubilee has no governor aspirant in Mombasa but has promised to support the Azimio candidate as they await direction from party officials on who to support between Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM) and former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko of Wiper.
The party has however filled 19 MCA aspirants out of the 30 wards in Mombasa. They have five MP aspirants out of the six parliamentary seats, a woman representative and a senate aspirant.