Inside NASA secret plot for crucial Coastal vote

Wundanyi MP Thomas Mwadeghu, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his counterparts Amason Kingi (Kili¬ ) and John Mruttu (Taita Taveta) at a past rally in Taita Tateva. The group has developed a strategy to bring-out the vote on August 8. [Photo: Renson Mnyamwezi, Standard]

The National Super Alliance (NASA) is eyeing an ambitious 85 per cent voter turn-out at the Coast as it bids to lock out Jubilee from the region it considers a key stronghold.

In a strategy document dubbed Pwani ni NASA which Choice 2017 has seen, top NASA leaders at the Coast have enlisted the help of professionals to bring out the vote on August 8 in a region known for its voter apathy.

The Pwani Ni NASA group, led by Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi and his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho, are planning a massive tour of the six counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, Taita Taveta, Kwale and Lamu in early June. Central in the leader’s plan is to bag 90 per cent of the region’s one million votes for NASA.

Huge caravan

According to the document, the tour will comprise a huge caravan. The group’s leadership has approached the business community and people of ‘goodwill’ to sponsor it by providing vehicles and other campaign materials.

Recent statistics from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) show that some 408,747 people registered as voters in Mombasa, 174,443 in Kwale, 336,132 in Kilifi and 79,454 in Tana River. In Lamu, there are 52,346 registered voters and 113,862 in Taita Taveta.

Stopping Jubilee from eating into this pie is Pwani Ni NASA’s utmost priority. In the last four years, the region has seen the defection of a number of its top leaders to the ruling party. They include Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya, his Tana River counterpart Hussein Dado, Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro, Taita Taveta Senator Dan Mwazo and county Woman MP Joyce Lay.

According to the strategy document, these defectors will be branded as traitors who have gone against the aspiration of the coastal people by supporting a government that does not have the region’s interest at heart.

Part of the strategy is to brand Jubilee as the worst government ever for the coastal people, given its persecution of its leaders, failure to address the emotive land issue and inability to implement any meaningful development in the region. The group will also seek to use the building of the inland port at Naivasha as political fodder against the Jubilee government.

“The construction of the inland dry port in Naivasha is one of the main issues that the people of the Coast should know as they prepare to vote, they need to be told that they stand to greatly lose jobs and revenue, and this will not only affect Mombasa County residents, but the entire region,” reads part of the document.

The group has identified a team of four to look at the strength of NASA candidates in parts of the region where Jubilee is fielding candidates.

Shared votes

According to the document, the leaders acknowledge that if not well handled, Jubilee candidates could win “where NASA candidates share votes among themselves”.

These seats include the Kwale gubernatorial contest where Wiper’s Chirau Makwere and ODM’s Issah Chipera will be seeking to oust incumbent Salim Mvurya.

Also in the list is the Taita Taveta governor’s contest where ODM’s candidate -- either incumbent John Mruttu or Wundanyi’s Thomas Mwadeghu -- will face off with Wiper’s Granton Samboja, ANC’s Jacinta Mwatela and Jubilee’s Dan Mwazo.

In Tana River, Dado is facing a number of NASA candidates including County Assembly Speaker Dr Ali Nuh of Wiper and former Galole MP Dhado Godana of ODM.

The Pwani Ni NASA group is seeking to implore on the candidates to support one of their own. In Lamu, the plan is to support Governor Issa Timamy of Amani National Congress (ANC) to recapture his seat against tycoon and former Lamu West MP Fahim Twaha of Jubilee Party.

Of note from the Pwani Ni Nasa document is that the group believes political opponents of Joho and Kingi do not not pose a threat to the two in Mombasa and Kilifi respectively.

Kingi will face Mung’aro while Joho will battle it out with his 2013 political rival Suleiman Shaabhal who has teamed up with former MP Anania Mwaboza as his running mate.

While addressing residents yesterday after launching and flagging of the free milk for nursery school children in Kilifi, Governor Kingi told off Jubilee candidates in the region. “We will campaign for ourselves, but we will also expose those Jubilee candidates for who they are. Coast is under NASA, and in this election we want to make a statement as the people of this region,” he said.