COUNTY POLITICS: Kingi vows to floor his opponents in Kilifi governor race
Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi addresses a rally at Dr Krapf Memorial School grounds in Rabai on March 11, 2017. Mr Kingi faces a fight of a lifetime to retain his seat. PHOTO | WACHIRA MWANGI | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Pundits say the area is no longer an ODM zone and that the party cannot afford to sit on its laurels and expect victory.
- Governor Kingi exudes confidence that he will retain his seat based on his development record, which according to him speaks for itself.
The battle for Kilifi governor seat promises to be a tough political contest.
Like it was during the Malindi by-election last year, the battle has shaped up to be a two-horse race between Jubilee Party and ODM.
In the by-election, ODM candidate William Baraka Mtengo defeated Jubilee’s Philip Charo.
He garnered 15,582 votes against Charo’s 9,243. Jubilee, led by its Coast pointman and Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, will however be seeking to revenge the loss while ODM, through the incumbent Amason Kingi, will do everything possible to ensure they retain the seat.
THEFT ALLEGATION
But since the by-election, so much has changed in the devolved unit.
Pundits say the area is no longer an ODM zone and that the party cannot afford to sit on its laurels and expect victory.
The government has since waged a political war against the incumbent not only through initiating multi-billion-shilling projects, but also attacking Mr Kingi’s alleged corrupt and poor leadership.
The tarmacking of the 110km Malindi-Sala Gate Road, Mavueni-Mariakani Road, Mariakani-Bamba Road, electrification and water supply projects, issuance of title deeds and a host of other government-funded projects all spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta, his Deputy William Ruto and Mr Mung’aro are a testimony of the battle to wrest the county from the Opposition.
Mr Kingi, who was earlier this week given direct nomination by ODM party, faces a fight of a lifetime, not only from Jubilee but also from candidates of other political parties.
They include former minister and Kadu Asili’s Kazungu Kambi, Wiper’s Michael Tinga and Ford-Kenya’s Prof Gabriel Katana.
KINGI CONFIDENT OF WINNING
Mr Mung’aro, a one-time ally of ODM leader Raila Odinga, has picked Kingi’s deputy Kenneth Kamto as his running mate.
The MP left the party following what he terms irreconcilable differences.
He was subsequently fired as the Cord chief whip in Parliament and his position given to Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu.
Mr Mung’aro has since been working with Jubilee arguing that he is keen to bring development to the region.
Governor Kingi exudes confidence that he will retain his seat based on his development record, which according to him “speaks for itself”.
He says Jubilee’s forays into the region will not yield much.
“It will be hard for the Jubilee camp to dismantle ODM’s dominance in the county,” he says.
And he has subsequently asked his opponents to prepare for “a shock of their lives in August”.
IMPROVED HEALTH SECTOR
He says his implementation of projects in the agriculture, infrastructure, early childhood education, polytechnic and the health sectors had improved residents’ livelihoods.
“When we came to power after the 2013 General Election, the health sector was on its knees. Fifty years after independence, the sector had systematically been ruined through poor management.
"Today, while being only three years in office, we have changed its infrastructure. We now have more than 20 fully-equipped ambulances that are saving lives in the county,” he said.
Governor Kingi outlines his other achievements in the health sector as employing more doctors and nurses and the construction of a theatre and maternity wings at the three sub-county hospitals of Mariakani, Rabai and Bamba.
“We constructed the maternity wing and theatre rooms at a cost of Sh60 million each. They are all complete and we expect them to ease the burden of expectant mothers being transferred to Kilifi or Malindi hospitals,” he said.
“We have also been running an agriculture subsidy programme where we give free fertilisers and seeds to farmers.
"We have more than 10 fully functional irrigation schemes scattered around the county. These are development projects that were unheard of before we came into office,” he said.
KAMBI'S SOLUTION
Mr Kambi has been criss-crossing the county popularising himself and trying to erase the notion that he is a Jubilee project.
“I am not a Jubilee project or mole. I am looking for this seat on Kadu Asili so that we can remove Governor Kingi’s administration, which has made the lives of the people harder,” he said recently at Junju.
Mr Kambi has maintained his experience at the Labour ministry taught him how to handle challenges and offer solutions.
“I know how to treat people fairly. I will not be a governor of a few people but everybody. They will be looking upon me for direction on how they can be empowered,” he said.
He added: “It is easy to create development and employment opportunities in Kilifi County but because of selfishness, the Governor Kingi-led administration has only benefited a few people.”
UPLIFTING LOCALS' LIVES
Prof Katana, on the other hand, accuses Kadu Asili’s National Executive Council of bias by allowing Mr Kambi to claim he had the party’s blessings to contest the seat.
“By declaring himself the only candidate, I feel that the playing ground is not level,” Prof Katana, who vied for the seat on the party’s ticket in 2013 and emerged second with 37,000 votes, said.
In the last election Mr Tinga contested the Senate seat on a TNA ticket but lost to ODM’s Stewart Madzayo.
“I am not going for the seat just to get rich quickly. All I want is to improve the livelihoods of our people,” he says.
