Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa will ditch Deputy President William Ruto-led camp if Kilifi governor Amason Kingi dumps ODM party.
Speaking in Kavunyalalo area in Malindi Sub County, Jumwa said she and Kingi could unite the Mijikenda community if they came together in 2022.
“I want to tell governor Kingi to leave where he is currently positioned and join us to unite the Mijikenda and I am ready to support his presidential ambitions and abandon where I am for his sake. We shall only negotiate to support an outsider when Kingi decides to go into a coalition with the person of our choice,” she said.
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She added, “He (Kingi) has been saying that we are pushing for a coastal party yet we endorse DP Ruto but I want to tell him that we are ready to support him if he abandons ODM and supports the coastal party idea and we shall also dump Ruto.”
Should the governor declare his interest in the presidency, the ardent Ruto supporter said she would mobilize coastal leaders to back his bid.
Kingi has in the past declared interest in running for the presidency as has his Mombasa counterpart, Ali Hassan Joho.
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“If I didn’t have national political ambitions, I’d have retired at age 50. It’s only that I am running for president,” Joho said in 2019.
Joho and Kingi are among 22 governors serving their second term in office and are likely to take a stab at the presidency.
Others likely to run for the highest seat in the land include; Wycliffe Oparanya (Kakamega), Alfred Mutua (Machakos) and Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni).
Those from the Nyanza region, from ODM leader Raila Odinga are yet to declare their interest. Analysts say that with Raila still looking for the top seat, the governors will most likely hang their political boots.
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