Kilifi leaders split over dissolution of PAA party

Leaders allied to the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party from Kilifi County have dismissed claims that the party might be dissolved ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Speaking at a function in Ganze constituency, area MP Kenneth Kazungu Tungule who is also PAA Secretary General, claimed that a section of UDA leaders from the region were saboteurs of the coastal political unity and were behind the push to have the party dissolved.

 “There are some leaders moving round the region claiming that President William Ruto has directed the party to be dissolved and members either join UDA or the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), I want to assure party members that as the SG, I won’t allow the party to be dissolved,” he said.

Tungule said that some leaders were working behind the scenes to have the party dissolved and are pushing President Ruto to support the move.

 “Nobody, even the president can dissolve a party and you recently saw the courts of law revoking the dissolution of ANC that had allegedly merged with UDA. As the SG of the party, I want to assure you that in 2027 we shall field candidates from MCA to Governor but at the presidency we will support Ruto’s reelection,” he said.

The PAA Secretary General claimed Kenya Roads Board (KRB) chairperson Aisha Jumwa’s defection from UDA to PAA had caused political uncertainty for some leaders in UDA and ODM and they were the ones asking the president to push Senate Speaker Amason Kingi to dissolve the party.

 “When Aisha Jumwa joined PAA, many leaders were not happy and she joined and made the party vibrant and that vibrancy is what people do not want. That is why they will do anything possible, including pushing for us to dissolve and join them,” he said.

 He asserted that PAA was formed to protect the interests of the coastal people and they never envisioned joining alliances, but the situation forced negotiations to take place.

 “We formed PAA to champion for the interests of the coastal people and some leaders claim that PAA is a village party yet they are behind the move to sink the party,” he said.

 On Sunday, Jumwa allegedly led a PAA delegation to State House Nairobi to meet Ruto, who according to reliable sources, told the delegation that he was keen to work with UDA and ODM and that PAA should be dissolved and members either join ODM or UDA.

The former CS would later post on her social media handles that PAA will support President Ruto’s re-election.

 “Thank you, Mr. President William Samoei Ruto. Tunapaa na Ruto. PAA is unstoppable,” she wrote on her Facebook page, but did not post photos of the delegation that met Ruto.

 Tungule also posted on his social media handles, “Thank you Mr President, chama kiko imara.”

President Ruto and Kingi did not post about the meeting on their social media pages as the norm raising questions on whether the leaders had resolved the dissolution debate.

Kilifi North MP Owen Baya has been a fierce critic of PAA and has on several occasions faulted its leadership for failing the coastal people.

Baya who is the deputy majority leader in the National Assembly claimed that Ruto had directed PAA to be dissolved. He further alleged that the party leadership had failed to address the squatter problem as per their manifesto despite President Ruto giving them the resources.

 “There are some people of that small party that claimed that they will address the squatter problem in this area and the President gave them resources and told them to spearhead the exercise, but it is now three years and they have done nothing with the Sh5 billion allocated for the project,” said Baya.

“The president saw it fit to form a task force to address the squatter problem and he appointed that short man (Kingi) to lead the team since PAA had in its manifesto resettlement of squatters. Governor Mung’aro was only told to identify the parcels and he has done so but the short man has done nothing to release the funds to buy those parcels for resettlement of squatters,” he added.

The MP noted that in the first year, Sh2.2 billion and in the second year Sh1.5 billion were allocated, while in the third year, Sh2 billion was allocated, but the money is lying idle.

 “If the President says the party should be dissolved, he has a right because PAA has failed to resettle squatters and the President is strongly behind Mung’aro as governor of Kilifi,” he said.