Former Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa is set to assume a major role in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance and in national politics after her appointment as a Cabinet Secretary (CS), positioning herself as one of President William Ruto’s key lieutenants in the Coast region.
Should she be approved by Parliament as the Public Service and Gender CS, Ms Jumwa will join the top ranks of Dr Ruto’s key point persons in Coast, a region considered one of the political bedrocks of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga.
Others are Senate Speaker Amason Kingi and former Kwale governor Salim Mvurya, who is the Mining Cabinet nominee.
Interestingly, Ms Jumwa, Mr Kingi and Mr Mvurya switched their political loyalty from being staunch defenders to the harshest critics of Mr Odinga.
Despite their political about-turn, their respective political appointments lend credence to their growing clout in Coast politics.
During a campaign rally, the President promised to incorporate Mr Mvurya into his Cabinet and appointed him as one of the Kenya Kwanza principals.
Mr Mvurya’s appointment is strategic as Kwale County hosts Base Titanium, Kenya’s largest titanium mining company. The county is also rich in other minerals that are yet to be extracted.
The critical issue of mining royalties is set to dominate his work as locals have been complaining that the benefits of mining do not seem to trickle down to the impoverished villages.
Juggling act
For Ms Jumwa, she will engage in a tough juggling act between her ministerial duties and the two criminal cases she is currently facing before a Mombasa court.
Ms Jumwa is facing a murder charge before the High Court apart from corruption and economic crimes charges before the magistrate’s court.
The hearing of the murder charge was scheduled for between September 26 to 29 but it did not take place because trial Judge Ann Ong’injo was attending an election petition training in Naivasha.
The lawyers defending her in the case are supposed to take new trial dates at the registry.
Ms Jumwa is accused of killing ODM supporter Jola Ngumbao. She is facing this charge jointly with her aide Mr Geoffrey Otieno Okuto.
They are accused of committing the offence during campaigns for the Ganda Ward by-election in 2019.
According to the charge sheet, the two suspects killed Mr Ngumbao on October 15 2019. They have denied the charges.
The court heard that the deceased was shot dead when Ms Jumwa, Mr Okuto, and their supporters allegedly stormed the home of former Ganda Ward Representative Reuben Katana and caused chaos.
The prosecution has lined up 32 witnesses to prove its case against them.
At least two witnesses have testified in the case, with one of them placing Ms Jumwa at the scene of the crime on the day of the shooting. The witness had informed the court that Ms Jumwa shot at unarmed supporters during the chaos.
Evidence tabled by a police witness indicates that one of the guns that were recovered from Ms Jumwa’s car had been fired.
The prosecution will be relying on the reconstruction-of-scene report to shed more light on whether the cartridge recovered at the murder scene has any links to the guns that were recovered from Ms Jumwa’s car.
The state has also accused Ms Jumwa of conspiring to defraud the Malindi National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) of Sh19 million.
She is also facing charges of conflict of interest, money laundering, and acquisition of proceeds of crime. She is out on a Sh5 Million bond.
Yesterday, Ms Jumwa said she was ready to take up her new responsibilities should she be approved.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve under your stewardship and all Kenyans,” she said. BY DAILY NATION