Coast MPs reconcile after talks with Raila

Tourism Minister Najib Balala sent a clear signal that he was warming up to Prime Minister Raila Odinga when he pledged to work with the premier and his fellow Mombasa ODM legislators at a meeting he hosted in his Mvita backyard on Tuesday morning.

But he had to weather a storm of criticisms, heckling and name-calling from a crowd that had turned up to witness the laying of the foundation for a health centre, a function that transformed into a charged political rally.

The heckling and shouts threatened to get out of hand, forcing the police to disperse a section of the crowd that had become particularly unruly.

Mr Balala bore it all stoically and to demonstrate his new resolve, joined the PM and fellow MPs Hassan Joho (Kisauni), assistant minister for Environment Ramadhan Seif Kajembe (Changamwe), Masud Mwahima (Likoni) in holding hands before the cheering crowd.

It was clear from the speeches that the PM had on Tuesday morning hosted the four leaders and Mombasa Mayor Ahmed Mohdhar to a meeting at a North Coast hotel at which they frankly discussed their fall-out.

All the five leaders confirmed in their speeches that they agreed at the meeting that they would henceforth shelve their political differences and work together with the Prime Minister as their party leader.

Medical Services Minister and ODM secretary-general Prof Anyang’ Nyong’o attended both the morning meeting and the Mvita function.

It was a homecoming of sorts for Mr Balala who had for a couple of years now, seemed to join ranks with Mr Raila’s political rivals, mainly suspended Higher Education Minister William Ruto and Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta.

He had maintained that he was in ODM to stay, insisting that no one had a right to remove him as he was one of the party’s founding leaders and a member of the erstwhile top decision-making organ, the Pentagon.

The stand saw him ostracised from the ODM nationally and in Coast province where Mr Joho, the party’s national organising secretary, has emerged as the regional supremo.

Mr Balala on Tuesday branded himself an independent politician who will work with anyone to bring development.

“I will make my political stand over who to support at length after holding talks with Prime Minister Raila Odinga at a later date,” he said.

But addressing the crowd on Tuesday, Mr Balala struck a conciliatory tone, saying, he was ready to work with the team, and any differences he may have had with his colleagues in Mombasa were a thing of the past.

Singling out Mr Mohdhar, who too hails from Mvita and with whom he has had long-running political differences, Mr Balala said he would work with the mayor and support his initiatives in making Mombasa Town clean and an enviable tourist destination.

“The talks we had this morning bore fruit. I want to say the mayor is not my enemy. He is my brother and I have no bitterness towards him. The past is gone…”

“We are one here in Mombasa. Let no outsider come here to divide us. If we have a problem, we will sit and resolve it,” he said, adding, no one can claim more closeness with the PM more than him, going by their long history of association.

“If there is someone who knows him better, it is me. Today is not a day for politics but development. We will come again with honourable Raila to talk politics,” he said to wild cheers from the crowd.

Mr Balala, who recently said he would be gunning for the Presidency in next year’s election, said he was not scared of anyone. (READ: I’m in race for State House: Balala)