This archive report was first published on 13 November 2019.
With the 2022 general elections just around the corner, campaigns to succeed Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi are heating up. According to sources, the governor and his party leaders have already identified a preferred candidate, but are keeping it a secret to avoid internal conflicts within the ODM party.
However, not everyone is pleased with the governor's plan. Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa is reportedly a major obstacle to the governor's succession plans, and has been targeted by the governor and his party leaders. The governor and his party comrades have allegedly hatched a plan to scuttle and smash Jumwa's political career.
One of the tactics used to target Jumwa was the Ganda by-election, where she refused to back the ODM party's candidate, Reuben Mwamure. Instead, she backed independent candidate Abdulrahman Omar, who eventually won the election.
But Jumwa's actions were seen as a betrayal by the governor and his party leaders, who felt that she had abandoned the party's interests. The governor and his party lieutenants have since persuaded ODM MCAs to cooperate and ensure that Jumwa is politically neutralized.
According to sources, the plan to get rid of Jumwa involves gathering 5,000 signatures from voters in each ward, which would then be used to initiate the process of removing her from office. If the plan is successful, the Malindi MP seat is expected to be contested by Philip Charo, a former Jubilee party candidate.
But if the plan fails, the ODM party is expected to replace Jumwa with Philip Charo, who has been trying to get the party's ticket for the Malindi parliamentary seat. Meanwhile, some sources say that the county's women's representative, Gertrude Mbeyu, has been trying to convince Mombasa County Governor Hassan Joho to issue Gideon Mung'aro the ODM party ticket to run for the Kilifi governor's seat.
