On Wednesday, a closed door meeting was convened by four Governors from Coast in an effort to discuss the future of the region. Hassan Joho (Mombasa), Amason Kingi (Kilifi) and Dhadho Godhana (Tana River) met at Governor Granton Samboja’s Mwakishimba home in Wundanyi.
However, visibly absent were their colleagues Salim Mvurya (Kwale) and Lamu’s Fahim Twaha. Twaha and Mvurya are close associates of Deputy President William Ruto. At the time of going to the press, even though the meeting went into the latter part of the evening, the country chiefs had not come out of the meeting.
Earlier, Governor Samboja said they would discuss revamping their economic bloc and pushing for development. “My friends have agreed we must leave landmark projects when our time to leave the political arena comes. The region’s economic growth will be determined by our unity and teamwork,” he said. Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani chief executive officer Emmanuel Nzai, who also attended the meeting, shared similar sentiments, saying they would deliberate on the region’s economy. “I can’t comment on politics. What I’m sure of is that we shall talk about revamping the economy of this region,” Nzai said.
The establishment of the much talked about regional political party was also to be a point of discussion amongst the Governors. The formation of this common party has faced many hurdles at many regional meetings as Joho and Kingi did not agree as whether the region should abandon ODM. Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who is ODM party leader, enjoys massive following in the region. Joho is his deputy in the party. Kingi and Godhana are also luminaries of the Orange outfit.
In a lead-up to the general elections in 2017, Muraya left ODM for Jubilee and has remained very reserved as to whether the region would have a regional party. Muraya’s Lamu colleague Twaha who is also a Jubilee Governor has not weighed in on the issue.
