ODM has said Sunday’s political rally at Tononoka in Mombasa will be an Azimio La Umoja affair, warning that political rivalry will not be tolerated.
ODM leader and Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate Raila Odinga is on a tour of the Coast region from Saturday to Tuesday.
The tour will include the Tononoka rally on Sunday after touring Ganze, Bamba, Kaloleni, Mariakani and Rabai in Kilifi county on Saturday.
On Sunday, before culminating at Tononoka, Raila will tour Mazeras and Miritini in Mombasa county before doing the Matuga and Kinango leg in Kwale county on Monday and then Voi in Taita Taveta count on Tuesday.
On Friday, ODM Mombasa chair Mohamed “Dee” Khamis said the Azimio la Umoja rally on Sunday will be a unity affair.
Speaking at the Tononoka grounds, he cautioned politicians against using pressure groups to heckle rival politicians.
“The podium will be for only selling Raila’s policies,” Dee said.
Earlier, Dee met all the ODM sitting MPs, MCAs and aspirants at the ODM office where they insisted on unity of purpose.
Those present included Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, Jomvu’s Bado Twalib, Changamwe’s Omar Mwinyi and Mombasa county’s Asha Hussein.
However, conspicuously absent were businessman Suleiman Shahbal and deputy governor William Kigi, both of whom are contesting the ODM ticket to vie for the Mombasa governor seat.
Nassir is also eyeing the Mombasa Governor seat on an ODM ticket.
On Wednesday, Shahbal told ODM aspirants at Kenya Methodist hall that he had been mandated By Raila to organise the Azimio rally on Sunday.
Nyali MP hopeful Said “Saido” Abdalla said all aspirants must respect party leader Raila and maintain peace before, during and after the rally.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
“This is a meeting for Raila Amollo Odinga. Put all your differences aside and focus on selling Baba and the unity agenda of Azimio,” he said.
The businessman will be contesting the ODM ticket for the Nyali MP seat with lawyer Joshua Ndere who also said respect for Raila must be maintained at all times.
Saido has been seeking the Nyali MP seat for the last two elections. This will be his third stab.
“If you have your other agenda and ambitions, leave them where you come from,” Saido said, calling on Mombasa residents to come out in large numbers.
Nassir said the Sunday rally will also be a proof to Mombasa and the Coast of the strength of Azimio la Umoja in the region.
“We have done Azimio rallies in the absence of Baba, in support of Baba. We have done in Likoni and Mvita grounds. Tononoka will be out of this world,” Nassir said.
Twalib said Mombasa should prove that they are peaceful people.
He said all leaders allied to Azimio should realise they have a common enemy in UDA and other parties that do not speak the Azimio unity language.
“They showed us Zilizala last week. This week we will show them Mirindimo,” Twalib said. BY THE STAR