Joho, Omar drum up support for referendum

Mombasa political leaders are scheduled to hold a rally on Saturday to drum up support for the proposed referendum by Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord).

This is barely a week after President Uhuru Kenyatta visited the area and seemed to have won over several leaders to oppose the referendum and instead work with his government.

Mr Joho and the Senator Ali Hassan Omar, accompanied by two MPs and several Members of County Assembly (MCAs) announced their support for the referendum, saying it would help devolution by disbursing more funds to county governments.
They were speaking at Kagujo village in Mjambere, Kisauni constituency in Mombasa after inspecting several water and roads projects.

Area MP Mr Rashid Juma Bedzimba, his Jomvu counterpart Mr Badi Twalib Badi and the county Speaker Mr Thaddeus Rajuai were among those who addressed the gathering.

‘BENEFITS OF THE REFERENDUM’

They said that the Cord rally would be held at Bedzimba Primary School in Kisauni on Saturday and urged residents to turn out in large numbers “because we will tell you things that you have not been told before as well as educate you on the benefits of the referendum”.

The leaders who called for unity in the county accused their colleagues who seem to be playing a different tune from that of Cord, claiming they were working with the Jubilee government to frustrate the call for a referendum.

In an apparent reference to Mvita MP Abdulaswamad Nassir, the leaders said some of their colleagues had “too much warmed up” to the President during his tour of the area last week.

The governor said leaders opposing Cord and unity of Mombasa leaders were well known, saying that they should be isolated.

NOT WORRIED BY ATTACKS

In a quick rejoinder, the Mvita MP said he was not worried by the attacks and would continue to respect the Head of State, adding that his being called names would not deter his performance as MP.

“I have three more years to do my job. If they want to isolate me, I have no problem, let them continue and in fact I wish them all the best. But what I want to tell them is that I will never speak about the President on his back (like they do) but will face him and tell him the problems of the people point-blank like I did at the Mombasa Huduma Centre and elsewhere”, he said.

Mr Nassir said that he was not the only leader in Mombasa who welcomed the President. Those opposed to his stand are at liberty and are entitled to their own opinion, he said, adding: “I will not start panicking”.

OWE THEIR ALLEGIANCE

Jomvu MP cautioned leaders whom he said had forsaken the Cord coalition. He said they owed their allegiance to the coalition because they won their seat in Parliament through Cord ticket.

“You cannot turn against your mother or ridicule her no matter how she is. Your mother is your mother. All of us here at Mombasa were elected on a Cord ticket and therefore, let us all respect the coalition and hence support the referendum,” he said.

He urged Coast leaders to rally behind their leaders instead of ridiculing them only days after electing them adding that prominent politicians in the country “had been made by their communities”.

Joho predicted that Coast region would soon produce a president provided that the communities supported their sons and daughters.

In the past, Joho has indicated that he would at one time vie for the presidency.

The senator, for the first time, commented on the destruction of a vessel that was destroyed at sea at the orders of President Uhuru Kenyatta and said the move was illegal.

DRUG SHIP DESTRUCTION ‘UNLAWFUL’

Without naming the owners of the vessel, Mr Omar said, “It was unlawful for the President to order the ship destroyed. For the drugs, there was no problem. As a lawyer, I know the owners will resurface and demand compensation for the vessel and I will make sure the President pays from his pocket, not from public coffers,” he said.

He said that while in Mombasa, the President failed to speak about the disappearance of sheikhs, clerics and other people who were either shot dead by unknown people “or just mysteriously vanished”.

He said his failure to comment about their disappearance would enhance lawlessness in the country.

The leaders who called for unity among leaders and residents of Mombasa County urged members of the public to turn up in large numbers at the Saturday rally.

MCAs described Mr Twalib, Mr Bedzimba and Senator Omar as “Governor Joho’s foot soldiers” who will push the referendum agenda to its logical conclusion.