Losers in national poll return to take Speaker seats

JomvuKuu Ward Representative KarisaNzai (right) is helped to take oath of office by judicial clerk Thomas Furaha during the swearing-in of   County Ward representatives in Mombasa on Friday.[PHOTO: MAARUFU MOHAMED/STANDARD]

By Standard Team

KENYA: Former MPs, a little known technician and former official with the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya and lawyers were elected Speakers in the Coast’s County Assemblies.

The counties also swore-in County Ward representatives in Malindi (for Kilifi County), Wundanyi for Taita Taveta, Mombasa for Mombasa County, Hola for Tana River, Lamu for Lamu County and Kwale town for Kwale County, with Kwale and Lamu Counties sticking out because no woman was elected.

Save for Lamu County, the counties were captured by the CORD alliance at the March 4 polls and Friday’s election of Speakers reflected a tendency to choose candidates allied to the alliance’s affiliate parties.

In Lamu, which posted mixed results on March 4, including electing a UDF governor and MPs on UDF and KNC tickets, but which is leaning towards Jubilee and TNA, Mohamed Hashim Salim, who lost the race for the Lamu East constituency on a TNA ticket recently, was elected Lamu County Assembly Speaker after he garnered all 10 votes against his competitor David Waihiga.

Lost before

 Mr Waihiga, a lawyer, also lost in the Lamu County Governor seat contest with his Agano Party ticket.

 A third candidate Omar Ahmed Ali withdrew in the eleventh hour forcing the interim County Assembly Clerk Charles Rading to cancel his name from the ballot papers as stipulated in the Standing Orders. Mr Ali was also a candidate in the March 4 elections, where he sought to be Lamu East MP on a KNC ticket.

Azhar Mubarak, the representative for Shela Ward, is Hashim’s deputy. He was elected unopposed.

The Speaker for Tana River County Assembly is immediate former MP for Bura Nuh Nassir Abdi, who had lost to Ali Wario of TNA on March 4. He took 12 of the 15 cast votes. His closest rival Mohamed Khalif got three.

Nathan Oddo Hiribae, a former DC and now representing Chinakomba Ward, is Nuh’s deputy.

In Mombasa County a 32-year-old technician at the Technical University Thadius Achieng’ Rajwayi was elected Speaker with 28 votes against veteran lawyer Mohamed Faki Khatib Mwinyihaji, who got two. Faki lost in the March 4 parliamentary race for Jomvu on a UDF ticket.

Mombasa Resident Judge Maureen Odero swore in the new Speaker after administering oaths to 30 Ward representatives, all from ODM. Three other contestants Victor Adamba Abuka, Ismail Said Mboya and Amir Ghalib Abdalah got no votes.

Airport Ward representative Rashid Msabaha was elected unopposed as Deputy Speaker.

In Kwale, lawyer Ruwa Sammy Nyawa, 34, got 16 votes to beat Mohamed Mwaduga, Mgandi Mnyaka, Fatuma Kingi and Said Gongo, who got a vote each from the 20 cast.

Mr Nyawa jails from Lunga Lunga constituency and is an advocate of the High Court in Mombasa and has been a practicing lawyer with Robbson Harris Advocates Company in Mombasa.

His deputy Kubo South Ward Representative Andrew Mulei was unopposed in an election and swearing in ceremony presided over by Justice Grace Nzioka and Milimani Commercial Court Chief Magistrate Wanjiku Wamae.

In Kilifi

Jimmy Kahindi, a lawyer, is Speaker for the County Assembly of Kilifi with 23 votes against his closest rival Antony Mrima, who garnered 12. He was sworn in by Justice Christine Meoli. Kahindi will be deputised by Teddy Ngumbao, the Vitengeni Ward representative, who got 30 votes.

A former DO Maghanga Meshack Maghanga is the new Speaker of the Taita-Taveta CountyAssembly. Mr Maghanga who is also a former District Election Officer in the defunct ECK beat seven other contenders. Taita-Taveta County Interim Clerk Verity Mghanga declared Maghanga the winner after garnering 16 votes, more than two-thirds of total vote cast.

A Voi based lawyer Onesmus Mwinzi was second with two votes while former Voi Mayor Thomas Mwatela was third with one vote. The newly elected speaker unsuccessfully vied for Chawia-Kishamba Ward representative post in the March 4 elections.

— Reports by Renson Mnyamwezi, Philip Mwakio, Tobias Chanji, Awadh Babo and Paul Gitau.