Death of Waudi big blow to Raila
Even the most rabid opponents of President Uhuru Kenyatta are in rare agreement that the issue of titles to Coast residents punched a wide hole in their political sails last week. The final coup was when the regions legislators and other representatives jumped on board the ship to be on the same side with residents and other community leaders who were clearly enthralled with the revolutionary turn around which gave them mastery over their destiny.
Despite the extremities that have captured the social networks in Nairobi courtesy of Senator Mike Sonko’s tiff with “feminist” radio broadcaster Caroline Mutoko and the “political suicide” of Governor Evans Kidero when he slapped Women’s Representative Rachael Shebesh in a recklessly wild moment on Friday, the region continued to savour in its moments of glory. There was an uncanny silence from the main noisemakers despite some provocative Jicho Pevu episodes which sought to glorify the reckless character of some Jihadists in the region one of whom was shot by unknown (possibly United States agents) anti-terror crusaders and who had acknowledged publicly recruiting young jobless youths to fight with Al Shabaab in Somalia. This happening at a time when Kenya was at war with the same elements inside Southern Somalia would either paint such a loud mouth as either very daft or just seeking martyrdom because of the treasonable perspective to the case.
Coincidentally, this was also the week when Raila Amolo Odinga’s closest ally at the Coast – Joseph Okoth Waudi – proprietor of the notorious Casablanca and Club Rio both in the City centre succumbed to an illness even as the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy(Cord) brigades sought to regroup. Waudi was a shrewd businessman who stayed close to Odinga throughout the clamour for second liberation but who was adept at positioning himself and his association with the former Prime Minister to feather his nest especially at the Port of Mombasa where he did contracting roles in various capacities.
His passing on is a big blow to Raila who depended on Waudi’s pragmatism when most of his followers were abrasively tearing the former Prime Ministers support from non –Luo and non-Coastal residents with their reckless utterances. Waudi respected his position in the cosmopolitan Mombasa and provided much needed intelligence to the Orange Democratic Movement enabling them the dramatic shut out of Jubilee Coalition in the last election on a purely land based strategy which they have possibly mended with the titles issue. To see virulent oppositionists like Senator Hassan Omar (Mombasa), Legislator Masoud Mwahima (Likoni), Governor Ali Hassan Joho (Mombasa) waxing lyrical in praise of the Uhuruto crew was a revelation rivaling any Vindeo or Ndrama ever lay out by Churchill.
It became apparent that a late night conclave with the principals inside State House must have provided assurances that convinced them that the issuance of titles was not just a cosmetic vote buying exercise but could be a true attempt to address the land question in the Coast region. Maybe that would explain why so far, none of the politicians have broken ranks and why they could have shifted alliances for real which would make the Jubilee team a very formidable team to deal with despite the many hazards facing them upfront.
If this lull is maintained going into the year and with Coastal Cordists providing the leverage they did on Thursday during the vote to extricate Kenya from the International Criminal Court (ICC) bondage, it will mean the prospects for business and trade in the region will blossom and everyone could run to the bank smiling. This is the climate that would enable citizens to soften the impact of the VAT baggage which has got tongues wagging even as the impact of the China Yuan’s and the Nigeria Naira’s begin to be felt. Tourism and the Port of Mombasa are the main earners for the region but agricultural produce is on the rise from Kilifi to Kwale and Taita Taveta counties.
Add the new irrigation projects in Tana River County and the modern infrastructural networks that are being cobbled together linking the new Lamu Port with Northern Kenya and South Sudan and Ethiopia and a new face of the Coast emerges. When you throw in the abundance and the extravaganza of mining projects from Niobium, Titanium and the Oil and Gas potential on and off shore in Lamu and Tana River, you are looking at the new Eldorado
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