Ruto’s coast allies to hasten formation of regional party to counter ODM

 

Coast MPs allied to Deputy President William Ruto have disclosed a plan to hasten the formation of a regional party to completely lockout ODM from the region.

The legislators said that the recent victory of their candidate in Msambweni marked the begging of the end of ODM and have now embarked on the formation of an outfit to 'wipe out' the Orange party.

“With the results that we posted in Msambweni on the 15th of December, we believe, it is the beginning of the end of ODM,” Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani said.

Mwashetani spoke to the Star in Parliament in the company of firebrand Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa, newly installed Msambweni MP Feisal Bader and Taita Taveta woman representative Rehema Hassan.

They spoke moments after Bader, an ally of the DP whose triumph shook ODM’s grip on the region, was sworn in as MP following his victory in the by-election.

The legislators disclosed that they are planning to register and unveil a political vehicle that will carry the ‘hopes and aspirations’ early next year.’

The yet to be formed party, they said, will form an alliance with one that will be used by the DP in his journey to State House.

“Our party will be in coalition with a party that the DP will come with – whether it is Jubilee or whatever,” he said.

The formation of a coastal party has been in the pipeline for years but has never materialised because of different political allegiance and affiliations of leaders from the region.

ODM enjoys a massive following in the entire coastal region but its dominance was threatened a fortnight ago when an independent candidate – Bader – supported by the DP, floored ODM candidate Omar Boga in the recent mini-poll in Msambweni constituency.

“We want a vessel that will bring us all on board so that we can be able to sit down on a round table and negotiate. There is so much that we have lost,” Mwashetani said.

“There are so many challenges which we have been facing and we expected ODM to come and salvage us but they never turned out for us. So, we want to stand on our own and come up with a political party.”

Bader, hinted at joining the DP’s political vehicle, terming him a friend who stood with him as his hour of need.

“He stood with me and I want to state that I will stand with him when he goes for the top seat in 2022,” he said.

The MPs thanked his constituents and rubbished opinion polls that had placed him a distant second to ODM candidate in the by-election.

He disclosed that his immediate priority will be to complete the projects initiated by former late MP Suleiman Dori. Bader was Dori’s aide.

They include the construction of a youth and opportunity centre.

Bader said he will also focus on education as well as the roll-out of enlisting of the members with the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF).