Coast Leaders Push to Hit 4 Million Vote Basket by 2027

By Julius Mwabonje

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Allied broadbased government coastal leaders have intensified campaigns to increase the regions votes to four million for the forthcoming general election.

Led by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, mining cabinet secretary Ali Hassan Joho, Sports cabinet secretary Salim Mvurya, Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung’aro, Senate minority leader Stewart Madzayo, and Youth principal secretary Fikirini Jacobs among others the leaders said their aim was to ensure Coast region was counted for increased number of votes and by voting overwhelmingly to President William Ruto.

The leaders have been going round the entire six counties holding meetings with opinion leaders so as to help pass the message to the grassroots to sensitize people to register for identity cards and as voters.

Speaking at the Vipingo grounds in Kilifi South on Monday, August 3, 2026, Speaker Kingi said they plan to bring live capture machines that would process ID cards in real time to help sped up the process of identity cards registration in the region’s six counties.

“Our plan is to increase the votes of Coast from two million to four million and it’s possible because the numbers are there. It’s just that people are not registered. We want all the uncollected identity cards to be taken to grassroots and after people get them they register as voters,” he said.

The speaker said the agenda of mass registration was to increase numbers and ensure PresidentvRuto was re-elected so that Coast gets more development.

Kingi, however, did not hesitate to announce that after Ruto exits in 2032 the coast region must produce a presidential candidate, and should be given support from across the country.

“The region has leaders who qualify to run for the presidency including Mvurya, Joho and Mung’aro in 2032. We shall come back to the ground to start the process of winning the top seat,” he said.

On his part, Joho said the region must turn out and register as voters in large numbers so that the region can have numbers to aid in the re-election of President William Ruto.

“Coast region must be counted in the oncoming General elections just like other regions in the country,” he said.

He asked residents of the region to reject calls by former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua to join the opposition saying some regions were seeing development under this regime in all sectors from education, health to infrastructure, and by supporting overwhelmingly for his reelection the region would benefit more.

Joho also said region will produce a president and shall also received support the same way the region supported baba, but reminded residents that for that to be achieved there has to be numbers that was why they were aggressively hitting the ground to increase the numbers.

He said Ronald Ngalla Utalii college had stalled for a long time but was set to open its doors during Ruto’s tenure in September this year.

The CS urged region to reject Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka as he was in power all through, but did not support the region in development.

Governor Mung’aro on his part said the regional leaders were united for the sake of pushing for Ruto’s reelection.

Kilifi county alone has 384,000 people who have IDs, but have no voters cards adding that over 450,000 have not registered for IDs.

He said their plan was to go to the grassroots and ensure they register those without IDs and make sure they were also registered as voters.

“The arrogance from Riggy G is because his region has numbers upto 4 million so to be equal we must increase the numbers in the ballot to 4 million,” he said.

The governor said in the broadbased government they were working closely for development of the region for locals to get land adding that all lands whose leases expired shall be acquired by the state to settle squatters so no locals will be evicted or property demolished again.

He said if there was a land whose lease expired it should be brought to public so that government buys it and give it back to the people

“Land acquisition has been given priority and president Ruto has taken up the matter seriously. He wants to resolve the squatter problem some of those in united opposition are the ones who own the parcels of land and do not want to let them go that’s why they are against his reelection,” he said.

He said soon they will be going to all wards in his county with MCAs to hold town hall meetings with people of not less than 1000 mid this month to tour projects and set the agenda of the coast

Further he said soon they will begin meetings between ODM and UDA to plan on how to get votes for the president in the 2027 general elections in the region.

Mombasa governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nasir who was also present said President Ruto has united the country and brought equality in all areas of the country.

“Other leaders are advocating for tourists not to come to Kenya while Ruto is opening Ronald Ngalla Utalii college. The economy of Mombasa was also revived by Ruto after Uhuru diverted operations to Naivasha,” he said.

Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo said the emotive land issue was being addressed by Ruto and it was going to enable locals to get land ownership documents

PS Fikirini said the journey that has started would help to bring back justice in the coastal region.

He said currently the historical injustices were being wiped out one after the other under President Ruto’s administration.

“Sixty three years ago since independence it’s President Ruto who has begun giving land ownership documents to the coastal people.

Those against Ruto have no problem with him but with the people of Coast region who have suffered since independence without land ownership documents,” he said.

He called on everyone who has attained 18 years and above in the region to register and get an ID card and then as a voter so as to increase the number of voters in the region that will help bargain for more development.