I have divorced Cord, says Gideon Mung’aro

Rebel opposition MP Gideon Mung’aro has ended months of silence over his links with the Orange Democratic Movement by announcing that he would not use the party’s ticket to vie for the Kilifi governor’s seat next year.

Speaking in Kaloleni-Giriama on Saturday, the Kilifi North MP said he had officially “divorced” the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) and would challenge Governor Amason Kingi on a different political party ticket, which he did not name.

His announcement came at the end of a week of political rabble-rousing within ODM during which Cord leader Raila Odinga was forced to read the riot act on rebel MPs within the opposition coalition, who are seen within Cord as gravitating towards the ruling Jubilee coalition.

On Wednesday last week, Mr Odinga mobilised loyal MPs, elders and professionals to stem the rebellion within his party, and later met three of the nine western Kenya MPs who, like Mr Mung’aro, had triggered internal discontent and assured them the party would resolve their issues.

MPs Silverse Anami (Shinyalu), Geoffrey Odanga (Matayos) and Raphael Otaalo (Lurambi) were joined by woman representatives Dorcas Kedogo (Shinyalu) and Florence Mutua (Busia) during the meeting at Mr Odinga’s Capitol Hill offices in Nairobi.

The MPs later addressed the media and said they had presented their grievances. “We had a meeting with Mr Odinga and discussed some of the issues raised in Wednesday’s press conference. We are glad the concerns are being addressed,” said Mr Anami.

But Mr Mung’aro, while addressing a news briefing after attending the 40th celebration of priesthood of Fr Henry Katana at St Barnabas Catholic Church on Saturday, seemed to ignore Mr Odinga’s overtures, announcing instead that he was about to launch “a major campaign to take the Coast region to the government”.

“I am warning ODM leader Raila Odinga to keep off Coast issues because we are capable of making our own decisions,” he said.

Just hours earlier, several Cord leaders who were attending the burial ceremony of nominated MCA Grace Mboja in Rabai had pressured the ODM leader to kick out rebel MPs for the sake of the coalition’s unity.

“How do you allow people to continue drawing their salaries through ODM and then disrespect the same party that is giving them a chance to place food on their tables?” asked Governor Kingi.

But Mung’aro responded by saying the “belief that Kilifi and coast are ODM zone should stop”.
NOT IN AGENDA
Pressed to name which party he would join for next year’s elections, Mr Mung’aro, who has led a Coast rebellion since he was kicked out as Cord chief whip early in the year and deposed as Coast Parliamentary Group chairman, declined, only saying that “we will cross the bridge when we reach there”.

Mr Mung’aro’s public utterances against Cord are seen within party ranks as veiled jabs against Mr Odinga, who during the Rabai meeting asked coastal residents to remain firm in the opposition coalition, saying it is the team to beat in 2017.

Before travelling to Rabai, Mr Odinga had tried to put out another fire lit by ODM Secretary-General Ababu Namwamba, who, just like Mr Mung’aro, had taken on his party leader in public.

Mr Namwamba, also the Budalang’i MP, had earlier in the week led a team of MPs from western Kenya to castigate Mr Odinga and ODM chairman John Mbadi for bullying, frustrating and wrongly profiling them.

On Sunday, Mr Mbadi said Mr Namwamba would not be discussed at a party meeting on Wednesday this week, quashing rumours that the outspoken MP could be kicked out of the party.

Instead, Mr Mbadi, speaking at St Josephine Bakhita Catholic Church in his Gwassi constituency, said the meeting of members of the party’s Central Committee would discuss election rules and how to constitute a new election board — “unless a member of the committee comes up with the issue of the secretary-general as an AOB”.

As he spoke, over 30 ODM ward representatives in Busia were cautioning against plans to expel Mr Namwamba from the party, saying such a move would be careless, dangerous and ignorant.

Mr Odinga will be in Busia county today for a “prayer” meeting for Ms Mutua, the area's woman rep. He is expected to respond to claims by Mr Namwamba and Funyula MP Paul Otuoma that Orange leaders from the area had been frustrated by the party rank and file.

Additional reporting by Kennedy Okwach and Maurice Kaluoch