Kilifi PAA members rejoin Raila party over 'broken promises'

ODM leader Raila Odinga speaks after receiving some officials who defected from Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) on January 18, 2024. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

Opposition leader Raila Odinga on Thursday accused Senate Speaker Amason Kingi of betraying him after he ditched Azimio to join Kenya Kwanza last year.

While receiving some officials who had defected from Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), founded by Kingi and is now in the ruling coalition, Raila explained how he was betrayed.

He said even though he was not in favour of the formation of PAA, he told Kingi to go ahead and form it and they agreed it would be part of Azimio.

"We had a meeting with him (Kingi) at Hassan Joho's house for about five hours. Joho told him he wouldn't be part of the plan. We agreed he would form PAA and be part of Azimio. He even campaigned as Azimio," said Raila.

Three months to the 2022 elections, Kingi ditched Azimio for Kenya Kwanza.

Speaking yesterday at ODM headquarters in Nairobi, the members led by Sammy Nyundo, PAA's National Youth Coordinator, accused their party leader Kingi of misleading them to join Kenya Kwanza.

Even though the party's top leadership including the chairperson and secretary general are still in PAA, Nyundo said that all foot soldiers had ditched the party.

"We have all secretaries and chairpersons from all sub-county branches in Kilifi. What this means is that PAA is dead," said Nyundo

ODM yesterday registered the members who were welcomed by the party's secretariat.

"I am happy you are back. This is so different because you are not politicians but citizens and party officials who have decided to come back to ODM. We are now telling Kingi to stay there alone," said Raila.

ODM has now mandated the new members to prepare the masses for his visit to the region on January 24.

The defection is the first one where members of a party allied to the ruling coalition have defected to the opposition.

"We were lied to. We knew we were forming the party which will be under the leadership of Raila through Azimio but the person we had put as the driver had other plans and he finally jumped to Kenya Kwanza. We were stranded there and could leave," said Gilbert Peru, a former MCA who vied on a PAA ticket in last year's elections.

More than two dozen members and party officials came to the ODM headquarters with the keys to all party offices and handed them to ODM leader Raila Odinga and Secretary General Edwin Sifuna.

"From here onward, we are members of ODM. We are the ones that formed PAA and that's why we have come with everything including the keys to all our offices. When we leave here, all of us will be members of ODM. We have closed all offices. We are giving you the keys to all of our offices," said Nyundo.

The move is a blow to Kingi who got the speaker post thanks to his position in PAA.

The members contended that the decision to align with Kenya Kwanza was masterminded by Kingi and he did not engage other party members.

They further claimed that the three core commitments that served as the foundation for the establishment of PAA; inclusivity in government, repatriation of port services to Mombasa, and enhancement of the region's economy, remain unfulfilled.