HON. AWITI’S CLAIMS ON HON. JOHO UNFOUNDED

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE </xml><xml> </xml> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> The crisis in relation between Mombasa County Governor Hon. Ali Hassan Joho and Nyali Member of Parliament Hon. Hezron Awiti presage a not so good affiliation of ODM and Wiper in Cord respectively.

The consistent provocation by Hon Awiti on Hon Joho, not on development agenda, is politics polarized in frozen unproductivity.

There are three dimensions that the Nyali MP fails miserably to address himself upon when he seizes opportunity to bash the governor.

One, he is oblivious about selling his policies to the electorate.

Two, fails to persuade the cosmopolitan electorate to vote for him, to be next Governor.

Three, fails to tell the audience or rather the electorate that he represents the kind of change they wanted if elected.

Unless Hon. Awiti lives in Utopia, he shouldn’t have been saying things he says in his political rallies. For his information, it’s not business as usual at the Coast hence Hon. Raila Odinga doesn’t have a guaranteed number of votes.

It was unfortunate for the MP to claim that Hon. Odinga has amassed enough votes and therefore doesn’t need someone to campaign for him at the Coast. Nothing is further from the truth.

In a nutshell, the ground is shifting hence Hon. Awiti should not be misled. It’s expeditious for ODM brigade led by Governor Joho not only at the Coast but Kenya at large to campaign vigorously by matching the Jubilee juggernaut a rally for a rally. Otherwise ODM and entire Cord will be embarrassed.

What Hon. Awiti is forgetting is that the political dynamics in the country are changing and maybe irrevocably. Quiet a number of MPs have decamped from opposition rendering its popularity to be at extremely low ebb.

For me, comparatively and politically speaking, the Nyali MP is still learning the ropes. And the following are the reasons staked against his ambition as he politically learns.

-          Looking at arithmetic’s Luo tribe domiciled in Mombasa cannot win him victory as they constitute of only 3% of total registered voters.

-          There is no guarantee that they will vote for him en masse, probably some will vote for Governor Joho or any other candidate.

-          He is disadvantaged in that Kambas, Luhyas, Mijikendas, Taitas, Taveta, Bajuns, Somalis of Kenya origin, Gunyas living in Mombasa County could transfer their allegiance all of a sudden to vote for him at the expense of the Governor.

-          Hon. Awiti has not exposed himself enough to the wider Mombasa County in his first term as MP to be Messiah of Mombasa residents.

On the contrary, Hon Joho has an edge over the MP because of his Mijikenda origin.

Secondly, by virtue of governor’s position as ODM Vice Chairman and being the person who will lead Hon. Odinga’s 2017 election campaign for Presidency he has coherent authority and legitimacy to endear himself to voters.

Third, Hon. Joho has charisma to pull crowd not only at Mama Ngina but at any place in Mombasa.

When Hon. Joho is trying hard to campaign for Hon. Odinga, which Hon. Awiti interprets as prevailing on the latter to tell (Him) Awiti to step down for the former in order to bag Luo votes, what is he (Awiti) doing to popularize the former premier?

 

FRANCIS BARASA

0710102916

[email protected]