• Kwale communication boss Daniel Nyassy said Mvurya supports the BBI but he also has a duty to the residents.
• Nyassy said the most important thing is for the BBI to reach the people at the grassroots.
Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya missed both the Coast delegates conference on Friday and the BBI rally on Saturday raising questions about his commitment to the cause.
But the governor, through his aides, insists he supports the BBI and that he prefers going to the grassroots to sensitise people on the importance of the initiative.
On Saturday, Kwale Senator Issa Boy criticised the governor saying he is setting a bad example.
This followed further criticism from Kwale Woman Representative Zulekha Hassan on Friday who said the governor is shaming residents.
“Kwale has no vacuum. There are leaders there who are firmly behind the BBI. We are there. So, one person cannot determine our resolve,” Boy said.
However, the Kwale communication boss Daniel Nyassy said Mvurya supports the BBI but he also has a duty to the residents.
“Like today, he had projects to open in Puma. He officially opened an ECD there which will help Kwale children get a solid educational foundation,” Nyassy said on the phone Saturday.
Nyassy said the most important thing is for the BBI to reach the people at the grassroots.
“His work is to take the BBI message to the grassroots and sensitise people there about the economic, social and political gains that the BBI brings with it,” he said.
He said even the leaders who attend the BBI rallies will at the end of the day have to go to their people at the grassroots to sensitise them.
However, political observers say Mvurya’s no-show at the rally and the Coast delegates’ meeting was because the two events were convened by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
The two are not the best of friends owing to Mvurya’s association with Deputy President William Ruto.
Mvurya has been skipping events convened or attended by Joho.
Nyassy denied there is any bad blood between the two governors.
“The two are not enemies. At Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani, Mvurya is the chair and Joho his vice. The two work together perfectly. Whatever is being speculated is not true,” Nyassy said.
Mwakuja Mrombo, a political analyst, said the friction between Joho and Mvurya could be the reason the JKP has not achieved its intended purpose.
“He could not come (to the BBI rally) because he is not happy,” Mrombo said.
He noted that Mvurya felt betrayed by Joho and other Coast governors who did not support him when he vied for the Council of Governors chairmanship after the exit of Turkana Governor Josephat Nanok.
“Mvurya has realised he will be nowhere in 2022. Joho and (Kilifi Governor Amason) Kingi are working on something for themselves. That is why he is not enthusiastic about many of the joint issues,” Mrombo said.
He said Joho and Kingi are now using every opportunity to sell themselves for positions in 2022 while Mvurya may quietly exit the political scene.