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Citizen Weekly

Sunday 19 April 2015

Kwale governor under siege

Kwale governor Salim Mvurya is a man under siege from his political opponents who claim he has failed to deliver as per his declaration during the 2013 general elections.
Leading the onslaught against Mvurya is 2013 senate loser Nicholas Zani, whom supporters have allegedly put under pressure to go for the governorship seat instead of a senate re-run in 2017.
It is claimed majority of Digos and minority Kambas have been shortchanged by their Duruma counterparts led by the governor in the sharing of county resources and employment opportunities in the county.
In the last elections, the Duruma fronted two strong candidates for governor, one of whom was Mvurya who then won on an ODM ticket and the loser, Simeon Mkalla, a former Kenya Ports Authority managing director who was runners-up on a UDF ticket.
Both Duruma candidates in a bid to court the Kamba voters, had running mates from the community. But while Mkalla stuck with his Kamba running mate to the finale, Mvurya the governor divorced his a few weeks to the general elections and picked a Digo lady, something that has not gone down well with the Kambas in the county.
It is against this background that Kambas have vowed a revenge at the ballot box come the next general elections. The Digos on the other hand even though having one of their own as deputy governor, they claim she is a mere puppet of the governor since she is incapable of influencing major decisions in favour of the community allegedly as evidenced by skewed appointments favouring Durumas.
It is as a result of growing rebellion against the governor in the county that Zani is being pushed by the Digo community to challenge him. They claim Zani being close to Cord leader Raila Odinga; he stands a better chance of landing a Cord nomination and eventually clinch the seat.
Zani, a brother to nominated senator Agnes Zani, is also the face of Cord referendum campaigns in Kwale county.
Governor Mvurya who is already feeling the heat generated by Zani grassroots campaigns has been on the defensive alleging a plot to dethrone him prematurely.

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