By Shadrack Nyakoe
The body of Senate Speaker Amason Kingi’s father Mzee Kingi Mwaruwa Mkweha was Thursday morning picked at the Pandya Memorial Hospital morgue in Mombasa.
A host of politicians and friends of Kingi showed up to give him moral support before they set off for Adu, Kamale village in Magarini constituency, Kilifi county where a memorial service was held.
Burial is set for Friday, February 21.
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki and Kilifi North MP Owen Baya were at Pandya Memorial Hospital in solidarity with Kingi.
Traditionally, the Mijikenda community bury their loved ones a week after death, but this was delayed to allow the AUC elections, where ODM leader Raila Odinga was a candidate, to take place, and to give President William Ruto, who is expected to attend, room to be at the burial.
The burial comes at a time there is rising political tension at the Coast as jostling for 2027 positions starts.
According to political analysts, the burial will provide a platform for high octane politics to be spewed with political friends and foes expected to share the podium.
Kilifi county is headed by Governor Gideon Mung’aro who does not see eye-to-eye with former Gender CS Aisha Jumwa, who is eying the seat.
Jumwa is working to form an alliance with former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, who is now a CS in Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration.
The capture of Joho was a political move by Ruto to quell the then Gen Z uprising and to bring the Coast region closer to him.
Joho has a lot of influence at the Coast because of his popularity among the youth and the financial muscle he has.
However, his dalliance with Jumwa has upset Mung’aro, who sees it as a betrayal.
Mung’aro, according to political analyst Mwakuja Mrombo, is politically indebted to the Joho family, who made sure he captured the Kilifi county governor seat.
“He is in a catch 22 situation because he has a debt to pay to the Johos but he feels the Johos are trying to get him out of the seat in 2027,” Mrombo said.
On February 2, Joho was made the chief guest at Aisha Jumwa’s home coming party after she was appointed the non-executive chair of the Kenya Roads Board.
She strategically invited Joho to be the chief guest knowing Mung’aro will not attend even if invited.
To show their disdain for the move, the Kilifi political leadership gave the function a wide berth.
Youth and Sports CS and former Kwale governor Salim Mvurya and Lamu Governor Issa Timamy alongside Tana River senator Danson Mungatana and a host of politicians from Taita Taveta and Mombasa counties attended the function.
Although Joho is said to be working on the formation of a political party of his own, different analysts have discarded this saying it will not serve him right to form another Coastal party given the history of Coastal political parties.
Former multi-party crusader Khalifa Khalifa said it is unlikely that Joho will form his own party.
“I don’t think so,” Khalifa said.
He said Joho already has an important seat in the cabinet and will not risk upsetting the balance by forming another party at the Coast.
“He can only do that under two circumstances. When Raila instructs him to do so, or when Ruto secretly asks him to do that for whatever reason,” Khalifa said.
The vocal politician-cum-human rights activist said unless there is a long-term plan for Raila to scuttle any Ruto plan to take over the Coast region as his bastion, Joho will most likely remain loyal to Raila and listen to his word or instruction.
This comes as Ruto also strives to keep Raila close to him for as long as he has re-election plans in 2027.
“Ruto cannot afford to have Raila against him. He will do everything in his power to keep him close,” Mrombo and Khalifa agree.
President Ruto is expected to try and perform a delicate balancing act at the burial.
On one side, Kingi has been loyal to him and does not want to upset him, especially during a low moment of his life such as the burial of his father, and on the other, Ruto needs Joho on his side to try and control the Coast region for his 2027 re-election mathematics.
Already, MP Baya has already started calling for the registration of yet another Coastal party, a remark that was publicly supported by his Kaloleni counterpart Paul Katana.
It is interesting to hear what Katana will speak at the burial.
Katana worked for the Johos before he was sponsored for the Kaloleni seat by his then employers.
He is unlikely to speak against Joho because he knows there influence and political power.
Mrombo said Ruto will most likely steer away from the political undertones at the Coast and instead call for unity to try and avoid upsetting the balance.
“I see him playing the big brother role of trying to calm the temperatures. Because he will speak last, he will have read the mood and will know what to say. He is a clever politician,” Mrombo said.