Nairobi lawyer bows to pressure to contest Kilifi gubernatorial seat

Nairobi lawyer George Kithi has finally bowed to pressure from the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party to shelve his Senatorial ambitions and contest for the Kilifi County Governorship on the party ticket.

Kithi attended a PAA rally at Matanomane trading centre in Sokoke, Ganze constituency Friday, where he used Giriama parables to indicate that he would vie for the gubernatorial position without explicitly saying so.

The Master of Ceremonies during the function graced by Governor Amason Kingi, the de-facto PAA party leader, called aspiring governors to address the rally and only Kithi stood up to do so. Other aspirants, including one for the senatorial seat, had already spoken.

Fifteen Members of the Kilifi County Assembly, Kilifi Senator Christine Zawadi and aspirants for the Kilifi senatorial seat and Ganze Parliamentary seat Ben Kai and Kenneth Charo Kazungu respectively urged Mr. Kithi to go for the gubernatorial seat.

However, when he stood to speak, Mr. Kithi dwelt much on the need for the Coast region to have a homegrown party such as PAA, for the region to have a bargaining power during the sharing of national resources and enactment of laws.

At the tail end of his speech, Mr. Kithi led the gathering in announcing that the party to watch in Kilifi was PAA and the county’s governor George Kithi before he handed the microphone to the Emcee and left the podium.

In December last year, Mr. Kithi denied reports that he had abandoned his senatorial quest to vie for governorship, terming them as propaganda from political rivals.

PAA has been scouting for a suitable candidate for the gubernatorial seat after Kilifi County Assembly Speaker Jimmy Kadhua Kahindi defected to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

Friday’s rally was billed as the launch of the PAA party campaigns, and was held in ODM Kilifi Branch Chairman, Teddy Mwambire’s constituency. Mwambire has been the greatest critic of the PAA party and Kingi is seeking to clip his wings.

During the rally, Kingi defended his formation of the new party, saying his aim is to contest the Presidency in 2027.

“People have questioned my forming of a party when I am about to leave office. Kingi is going nowhere. The formation of PAA is the beginning of a long journey that will culminate in the party fielding a presidential candidate in 2027,” he said.

Mr. Kingi however said the party would campaign for ODM leaders Raila Odinga’s presidential bid this year as it (PAA) fields candidates in all other elective positions in order to gain a national outlook ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Earlier, Mr. Kingi had led leaders in inspecting development projects initiated by his administration in Sokoke Ward. They include the Malanga and Kwa Dadu dispensaries as well as a water project in Dzikunze and a model Early Childhoold Development Centre at Mwarandinda Primary School.