March 19, 2024

Jubilee women in Mombasa Accuse ODM of Short Changing them

Janet Mirobi aka Mama Jawambe (Left) Bizena Swaleh (Centre), Jubilee activist Farida Toli (Behind left) alongside other leaders addressing the Media (Photo/ Courtesy(

By The COAST Reporter.

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

A major row is brewing among Azimio’s women rank and file in Mombasa.

Jubilee women brigade in the County feel their ODM counterparts in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition are sidelining them in campaign programs.

They have accused Raila’s party ODM of lording it over others and allegedly trying to isolate the presidential candidate from Jubilee followers and other groupings.

This, they say, undermines the unity championed by the coalition.

Speaking during a strategizing meeting with women leaders and grass root mobilisers at the Sacred Heart High School hall in Mombasa, they called on their party leader president Uhuru Kenyatta to weigh in on the matter.

“Raila comes to Mombasa and none of us is involved in the program. We only read about it in the news,” said Janet Mirobi popularly known as ‘Mama Jawambe’.

She complained that since president Uhuru and Raila formed the Azimio coalition, the Jubilee party in Mombasa has been left out in the affairs of the coalition.

She said going by ODM’s actions in Mombasa, it seemed they have a hidden agenda within the coalition.

A section of Jubilee women in Mombasa, (Photo / Courtesy).

“We have a problem in Mombasa because Jubilee is not being recognized as an equal partner. President Uhuru needs to tell us what the deal is,” she said.

Mirobi also cautioned the ODM party leader against calling for six piece voting in Mombasa saying that this undermines other aspirants from parties within the coalition.

 RAO for all 

“Raila is now ‘baba’ to many; when they (ODM) call for six piece, what are they trying to show us?” she said.

Bizena Swaleh, a resident of Majengo, echoed Mirobi’s sentiments saying that ODM was bulldozing their own agenda within the coalition by preaching six piece.

“Baba (Raila) cannot call for six peace and pretend to preach Azimio; he needs to measure his words. Azimio is made up of other parties too, not ODM only,” she said.

She alleged that there was a plot by powerful individuals within the county allied to ODM to use the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to rig the August election in favour of ODM.

Swaleh alleged that the alleged powerful individuals were pushing for their relatives and cronies to be stationed as election officials within polling stations across the county.

Azimio la Umoja Presidential contenders Raila Odinga and his Running Mate Martha Karua, (Photo / Courtesy)

 Rigging claims

“We are calling for immediate investigations of IEBC officials in Mombasa, president Uhuru Kenyatta must hear this and intervene,” she said.

Amina Ridhwan, the Jubilee women league leader in Mombasa reiterated that the party was ready to hit the ground running to campaign for the Azimio presidential candidate.

She said that as a party, they will continue to push for the one-third gender rule to ensure that more women get space within the political sphere.

Ridhwan further hailed Raila’s move to pick Narc-Kenya party leader Martha Karua as his running mate saying that it demonstrated a good will by the Azimio principals that the Azimio government was ready to accommodate Kenyan women.

“Picking Karua as running mate gives us confidence, she is a strong, determined and straightforward woman. We have no doubt she will deliver on her mandate,” said Ridhwan.

 Azimio aspirant

Jubilee has no governor aspirant in Mombasa, but have promised to support the Azimio candidate as they await direction from party officials on who to support between Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM) and former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko of Wiper.

The party has however filled 19 Member of County Assembly aspirants out of the 30 wards in Mombasa. They have five MP aspirants out of the six parliamentary seats, a woman representative and senate aspirant.

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