Stay in ODM or risk your seats, Coast leaders told

An MP has dismissed talks of likely defections from the Orange Democratic Movement by Coast leaders.

It was premature to talk of leaving a political party hardly two years after elections, said Taita Taveta women representative Joyce Wanjallah Lay.

“How can we say we will ditch ODM? We are there to stay unless we want mass by-elections at the Coast,” she said by phone.

Coast Parliamentary Group chairman Gideon Mung’aro, the Kilifi North MP, is said to have claimed that regional leaders were considering ditching the Orange party for the ruling Jubilee coalition.

He allegedly made the remarks at Baraza Park in Kwale on Saturday during a funds-drive presided over by Deputy President William Ruto.

ODM overwhelmingly won majority parliamentary, Senate, Women Representative and County Assembly seats in Coast’s six counties in the last General Election.

Mrs Lay said ditching a party that sponsored one in the elections would be unconstitutional.

Serving wananchi should be the leaders’ priority now, she said and at the same time supported the clamour for the formation of a Coast political party for the 2017 elections.

However, it should be based on extensive grassroots consultation which had not taken place.

“I don’t think we have done adequate ground work to launch a party.

“The people have not been fully involved and on issues like leaving one party to join the other, the voters must have a voice,” Mrs Lay said.