Opposition chief Raila Odinga’s African Union Commission chairperson bid is continuingly gaining traction among government officials with Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa rallying behind him.
Speaking in Malindi town, Kilifi County, Ms Jumwa noted that Mr Odinga had demonstrated leadership traits in the past and contributed to the growth of democracy in Kenya hence he was likely to steer the AU forward.
She, however, warned area politicians allied to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and who depend on Raila’s involvement in local politics to get elected to prepare for a gruelling battle in 2027.
Aisha, a former Raila foot soldier depended on the ODM wave in Kilifi County to be elected the first Women Representative in 2013 and later Malindi MP in 2017 before cutting ties with Mr Odinga after the famous 2018 handshake between then President Uhuru Kenyatta following a hotly contested presidential elections.
She would later join current President William Ruto when he was Uhuru’s deputy and her attempt to contest the governor position in Kilifi County on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in 2022 hit a snag after emerging a distance second to ODM’s Gideon Mung’aro.
Kilifi has been an ODM stronghold owing to Raila’s influences on the local masses his name renting the air even in the most remote parts of the County and the effects have been any politician eying senior elective positions in the county and not allied to Raila have been defeated.
Mung’aro tried going against ODM in 2017 by joining the Jubilee party but despite his popularity, voters rejected him saying he was a government project hence they reelected Amason Kingi.
In 2022 Senate speaker Kingi while still governor defected from ODM and formed his party, the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) which fielded candidates in all elective positions save for the Presidency where Kingi campaigned for William Ruto.
His party performed dismally in the polls and only netted 2 out of 7 MPs and only five MCAs out of 35
Biko Steve 
IAN BYRON