Confusion engulfed in Kilifi County during Madaraka Day celebrations after the County leaders staged two parallel events a kiliometer apart.
Kilifi County Commisioner Kutswa Olaka organized a national government event to mark the day’s celebrations at Karisa Maitha grounds while Governor Amason Kingi organized his own at Kilifi water grounds, just a short distance away.
According to residents, the day was taken over by politics as governor Kingi decided to boycott the initially organized joint event at Karisa Maitha for unclear reasons.
“We don’t understand why in Kilifi a special day like today should be played out with politics,” said Monica Mwenda, a resident who had attended the event at Karisa Maitha grounds.
Abdala Hamisi, also a resident at the event expressed his disappointments saying the two leaders caused confusions among residents in Kilifi who didn’t know which event to attend in order to celebrate the day.
At 1:00 PM Governor Kingi left his event in a haste and shortly joined the County Commissioner Olaka at Karisa Maitha grounds where he addressed the residents after the event’s organizers broke the protocol to allow him to deliver his speech.
After the speech, Kingi resumed to his event at Water grounds.
Addressing the locals at the water grounds, Kingi strongly campaigned for Kenya Kwanza Alliance as he aligned the reasons why the residents should vote DP Willam Ruto for presidency againts the Azimio boss Raila Oding in the August polls.
He urged the residents to sweep off the Orange Democratic Movement(ODM) party warning them that their interests are not accounted for in the party.
He told the residents to join Kenya Kwanza Alliance where their Coastal natural resources will be revived to them through the leadership of Ruto.
“The ODM Party neglected us in August when we direly needed them. Why should we support them now? I will not entertain anyone who does not stand with the Coastal people because we are putting our Coast region first. Coast first, the rest another day”, Kingi said.
Kingi continued to justify to the gathering why he had to leave Azimio for kenya Kwanza insisting that only Kenya Kwanza has the best interests of the Coastal people in its agenda.
“You should literally sweep out any remnant of ODM in this region. If you happen to see ODM and a snake on the road, you should first of all hit ODM before dealing with the snake because ODM is more dangerous”, he said.
During the same Event at Water grounds, Kilifi gubernatorial aspirant George Kithi named Athman Seif as his running mate.