DEC 7, 2009
BALALA LOOSING CLOUT AS COAST LEADER
BY EUGENE OMILO
Six years after the untimely demise of the kingpin of Coast politics Emmanuel Karisa Maitha, the region is yet to find a leader who can fit his big shoes.
Going by the political trends in the region right from the run up to the last general election, Tourism Minister Najib Balala was seen in the view of many as the possible replacement to Maitha but recent turn of events have proved the contrary.
After the highly successful rally last Sunday in Tononoka, it was clear that Balala has been the sleeping hero of Coast politics.
Going by Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s sentiments that the party had planned to travel to Mombasa immediately after the poll results were announced to hold a rally that would marshal civilians to help him salvage a stolen election, one thing was for sure, the rally would have marked the crowning moment for Balala.
His membership at the Pentagon made him the party’s point man in the region and had the rally been successful, he would definitely emerge as the supremo of Coastal politics.
However, that rally was not to be held as at the height of the post election mayhem the government banned rallies and demonstrations.
But the mission of the rally was clearly displayed on Sunday as speaker after speaker took to the podium to attack Balala.
Had the rally been held in 2008, many MPs could have been telling the ODM leader to appoint Balala to a powerful position but on Sunday they instead called for his removal from the cabinet.
Voi MP Dan Mwazo who is secretary of the Coast parliamentary group even told Raila to remove him from the Pentagon.
Mwazo and Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe blamed Balala for ODM’s loss of 10 parliamentary seats in the region.
ODM won 11 out of the 21 constituencies in the region.
The feeling of many leaders was that Balala has not respected the party leader, a factor that has made him unpopular among other party officials and members.
During the Tononoka rally more than 40 MPs called for his sacking from the cabinet.
East African Cooperation minister Amason Kingi did not mince his words, he told Raila to “throw away the rubbish inside ODM.”
Balala snubbed all meetings attended by the Prime minister since Friday when he arrived in Mombasa including a secret meeting with Coast MPs at Serena hotel that was attended by PNU MPs including Special programmes minister Dr. Naomi Shabaan.
MPs Kazungu Kambi and Gonzi Rai who hosted Ruto and Balala ahead from the Prime minister’s tour of the region also attended the meeting.
Apart from Transport minister Chirau Mwakwere, Garsen MP Danson Mungatana, Bahari MP Ben Gunda and Fahim Twaha of Lamu West all other MPS attended the late night meeting that lasted three hours.
Gunda sent apologies as he is out of the country but it is not clear if the other three did the same.
An MP who attended the meeting said the agenda was to discuss development issues at the coast and had nothing to do with politics since the MPs were drawn from different parties.
Raila also is understood to have dissuaded the legislators from rooting for secession.
The other crucial meetings Balala failed to attend apart from the rally held in his Mvita constituency included the ODM NEC convention to discuss the draft constitution and Coast ODM delegates meeting at Wild Waters Club in Nyali.
As much as Raila extended an olive branch to him together within his Agriculture counterpart William Ruto, many MPs at the rally made it clear that the party can do without the two.
Raila told Balala that the political route he was taking was misguided and called out to him to return to the party.
Many Coast MPs calling for the sacking of Balala might be mistaken to do so in bad faith so that they can take his cabinet position but the truth of the matter is that even Balala’s cabinet colleagues led by Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi support his sacking.
Mudavadi said rebellion within the party should not be ignored as it would lead to disunity.
“Let us all aim our guns at the enemy but we must be mindful of friendly fire as it also kills,” said Mudavadi.
He says the freedom of expression and criticism within the party should not be synonymous with disrespecting the Prime minister.
A list of possible contenders for Coast’s ultimate political heavyweight has already emerged with several names being fronted to battle Balala from his slippery perch as ODM’s point man in Coast.
They include Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe, East African Cooperation minister Amason Kingi, Mwatate MP Calist Mwatela, ODM Organizing Secretary Hassan Joho and vocal Malindi MP Gideon Mung’aro.
ENDS.
Mr. Omilo writes for Coast This Week, a new weekly newspaper covering the Coast region.
