Friday July 7, 2017
Somalis in Kilifi have endorsed Governor Amason Kingi for a second term come the August 8 general election.
The community, which has more than 12,000 votes, promised the Governor 100 per cent support and said they will also ensure NASA wins.
NASA's Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka will face President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto on August 8.
Somalis declared their position on Thursday at a meeting attended by more than 500 representatives from across the county. The meeting took place at Kingi's residence in Kilifi town.
But they gave Kingi conditions including securing a nomination in the county assembly, job opportunities and bursaries.
Adan Mohamed, a county executive member who led the delegation, said they will pull resources to ensure the Governor gets all their votes.
Mohamed said one of their plans is for drivers to take representatives to Kingi's campaigns until voting day.
On tenders, he said members of the community have been the biggest beneficiaries.
Other speakers noted they have been neglected for the last four years and did not get bursaries, a situation they said Kingi's administration should resolve.
They also noted they have been used to get leaders into power, who then dump them and forget the promises they made.
Representative Adan Fara said they have benefited from tenders but that some departments have delayed payments.
“If one is given a Sh10 million tender, he takes materials from hardware stores on credit, but due to constant delays this has become a major problem. We want payments done by departments."
The Somalis said this time they would like to be part of the county government.
Kingi (ODM) assured the community of his support, noting his administration provided them with tenders and job opportunities.
He urged them to continue supporting him as they belong to the county and will not be neglected.
The county chief asked the community not to be misled by National Assembly majority leader Aden Duale, who is also Garissa Town MP.
He said Duale will neglect them after getting them to vote for Jubilee Party.
Kingi further said he will push for Somalis to get IDs, without having to undergo vetting, and asked them to vote for Raila so their problems can end.
“On August 8, if Raila is elected president, there will be a big difference in the country," he said.
He added his administration has constructed boreholes and drilled water pans in grazing areas to keep animals from invading farms along River Sabaki where irrigation farming is practised.
Kingi was with Senator Stewart Madzayo and Kilifi woman representative hopeful Getrude Mbeyu.