Kingi: UDA won't field Kilifi governor candidate, backs Mung'aro

Senate Speaker Amason Kingi has said that the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) will not field a candidate for Kilifi governor seat in the 2027 General Election.

Kingi said that instead UDA will support the re-election of Governor Gideon Mung'aro of the Orange Democratic Movement's (ODM) in the spirit of broad-based government arrangement.

The declaration effectively settles a key question that has fuelled political uncertainty in Kilifi, while contradicting recent remarks by UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar who is opposed to political zoning.

Meanwhile, Kingi’s liaison officer, Sammy Ndago, is among the leaders opposed to political zoning and in the recent faction he stated that the broad-based agreement would not apply in the county.

Speaking to UDA delegates in Kilifi North, Kingi said the decision was part of the political understanding between President William Ruto’s UDA and ODM leadership.

The senate speaker said that UDA members in Kilifi are expected to support the ODM candidate for governor, signalling that the party would not mount a separate bid for the county’s top seat.

Kingi did not expressly name incumbent Gideon Mung’aro, the reference to the ODM candidate points directly to the governor. Mung’aro is currently the only ODM politician openly seeking the governorship.

On his part, Kilifi North MP Owen Baya openly told UDA members that they should support Mung’aro’s bid for a second term.

This comes weeks after former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa quit UDA after reportedly learning that the party would not sponsor a candidate against Mung’aro.

Jumwa had been positioning herself for the Kilifi governorship on a UDA ticket. Following her departure, she has held meetings with leaders from different political parties as she weighs her options ahead of the 2027 election.

Kingi’s latest remarks expose a sharp contradiction within the UDA camp over the implementation of the broad-based agreement in Kilifi.

Ndago, Kingi’s liaison officer, recently said the arrangement would not be honoured in the county, suggesting that UDA could still field its own candidate for governor.

Ndago, who is seeking to unseat the incumbent Kilifi South MP, accused leaders backing the political zoning arrangement between UDA and ODM of undermining democracy and warned that the arrangement could drive some UDA supporters away from the party.

The former Shimo la Tewa Ward MCA claimed that the zoning formula would disadvantage President William Ruto by alienating voters who felt they were being denied the opportunity to choose their preferred candidates.

He also declared his intention to challenge what he described as the “old guard” in Kilifi South, while backing Jumwa for the Kilifi governorship.

“We must come out as the youth of this nation and take our political positions. Here in Kilifi South, I want to unseat the old guard. When it comes to governor, my choice is Aisha Jumwa since Mung’aro has run down the county,” Ndago said.

Ndago further argued that the political environment in Kilifi was making it increasingly difficult for local leaders to sell President Ruto’s re-election agenda to voters.

He said although the government had made interventions such as reducing fertiliser prices, residents in the region were yet to feel the impact of some of its policies.

“Leaders from this region have failed President Ruto. Selling Ruto to Kilifi residents has become very hard, which is why we are seeking alternative voices for the presidency,” he said.

He also criticised the proposed allocation of elective positions under the broad-based arrangement and called on President Ruto and ODM leader Oburu Oginga to allow voters to determine their preferred leaders through the ballot.

“We will not allow zoning in Kilifi County. I want to tell the president that those leaders advocating for political zoning are lying to him and that selling him to residents is becoming difficult as we approach next year’s general election," Ndago said.

He warned that failure to embrace political inclusivity could undermine the coalition’s support in the region.