Mung’aro out as Coast MPs elect leaders
Mr Philip Charo (left), who lost the Malindi by-election, with Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro and Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani. Mr Mung’aro and Mr Mwashetani were on March 16, 2016 removed from the Coast Parliamentary Group leadership. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
Some 19 lawmakers out of the 33 from the region met at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi and elected new Coast Parliamentary Group leaders.
Mr Mung’aro was ousted as the chairman and the position given to Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga.
Wednesday's elections are likely to create deeper rifts among leaders from the Coast region.
A section of Coast MPs on Wednesday elected new officials to the region’s parliamentary group, kicking out ODM rebels led by Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, whom they accused of defecting to the ruling Jubilee coalition.
Some 19 lawmakers out of the 33 from the region met at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi and elected new Coast Parliamentary Group leaders.
Mr Mung’aro was ousted as the chairman and the position given to Kaloleni MP Gunga Mwinga.
Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani, who also supported the Jubilee candidate during the Malindi parliamentary by-election last week, was also removed.
He was replaced with Voi MP James Mlolwa, who becomes the new secretary-general.
Mr Mung’aro leads a group of six Opposition MPs from the Coast, who have said they will work with the ruling party and some of whom campaigned for the Jubilee candidate in last week’s Malindi by-election.
Mr Willy Mtengo of ODM won the seat. However, the rebel MPs said they would continue to work with Jubilee although their candidate, Mr Phillip Charo, lost.
WINNER WAS SWORN IN
Wednesday's elections are likely to create deeper rifts among leaders from the Coast region, coming in the wake of the by-election whose winner was sworn in on Tuesday in the National Assembly.
Among those who sat in the public gallery during the swearing-in were ODM leader Raila Odinga, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his Kilifi counterpart, Mr Amason Kingi, both of whom led campaigns for Mr Mtengo.
During a press briefing at Parliament Buildings yesterday, Mr Mwinga said the election was meant to replace interim officials, who had been in office for the past three years.
“We held elections to replace interim officials and also to bring together leaders from the Coast, where issues that affect the region such as land, can be addressed,” he said.
He, however, refuted claims that the elections were as a result of the rift between the MPs leaning towards Jubilee and those fully in the ODM.
He also said that all the MPs from the region had been notified about the elections, but only 19 showed up.
The rebel MPs did not attend the press conference either.
