This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
Gertrude Mbeyu, the Kilifi women representative, has found herself at the receiving end of a bitter feud with Aisha Jumwa, the Malindi MP, who claims to have groomed and assisted her to win the county MP seat in the last general elections.
According to Jumwa, Mbeyu has abandoned her and joined Team Embrace, which is against William Ruto's 2022 presidential ambitions. This move has escalated the feud between the two women, with Jumwa accusing Mbeyu of working against the interests of local residents.
Team Embrace is a movement made up of women leaders supporting the Building Bridges Initiative and the handshake between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga. On the other hand, Inua Mama Team, in which Jumwa belongs, is composed of women leaders who are allied to the Tangatanga movement, which is pushing for Ruto to succeed Uhuru at State House.
As the feud escalates, Mbeyu has accused Jumwa of having chased her out of the DP Ruto's camp. Mbeyu claims that Jumwa said she was of no importance since she has 'no votes' to offer Ruto in his 2022 presidential bid.
"If Jumwa tells me that I don't have any vote to enable the DP to win 2022 general election, then let it be. But I want to tell her that she will be in for a surprise," Mbeyu said.
With the feud showing no signs of abating, Mbeyu has returned to ODM and vowed to campaign for her party candidate in the upcoming Ganda ward by-election slated for October 17.
