Mwakwere in grand cross-over from Tanzania to NASA

It is now official that Chirau Ali Mwakwere will be vying for the Kwale governor's seat on a National Super Alliance coalition (NASA) ticket.

Mr Mwakwere is the immediate former High Commissioner to Tanzania.

He formerly declared his defection from Jubilee on Sunday, as he crossed from Tanzania at the Lunga Lunga border and began a long trek accompanied by dozens of vehicle and hundreds of supporters to his home in Tiwi.

Ululations and songs rent the air as soon as he was cleared at the immigration office.

Mwakwere, who lost the 2013 Senate race to the late Boy Juma Boy, had teamed up with Boy and former rival, Matuga MP Hassan Mwanyoha, in a race to dethrone Governor Salim Mvurya of ODM.

Mr Mvurya defected to Jubilee last November.

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With a slogan similar to US President Donald Trump's 'Make America Great Again' ('Make Kwale Great Again'), Mwakwere chided Jubilee Party, describing it as "an ogre".

"Our friends from the other side have been everywhere singing about Jubilee, 'Jubilee sijui ni dude gani' (I don't know what Jubilee is). They have now started to cry but let me tell them that Mwakwere ditched them a long time ago... those in doubt should not be because I am now fully with my colleagues in NASA," said Mwakwere while addressing his supporters.

The former cabinet minister, who fell out with the Jubilee administration when it began showing favour towards Mvurya, appreciated the way he had been received and promised a fierce battle ahead.

He said his spirits were rejuvenated into capturing the seat and that the next five months would be a defining moment.

"What lies ahead of us is five months of work, unity and success. I am ready to work for you the way I have worked for Kenya without fear or discrimination to make sure everyone has a good life," he said.

"I'm happy because you have come to receive me... I'm also happy because I'm no longer an ambassador. Being an ambassador is a good job but working for you is the best thing," he added.

As he ran and danced to his famous song, 'Dzipapa Dzipapa Jembe la Kazi Kwale', Mwakwere said he would trounce Mvurya by a landslide.

He was to be received later by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who is also the ODM deputy party leader, at Checkpoint on the border of Kwale and Mombasa counties.