Ab-Titchaz
JF-Expert Member
- Jan 30, 2008
- 14,630
- 4,253
Land question hurts Jubilee in Coast counties
Jubilee Alliance luminaries at a rally in Mombasa. They have had to do damage control
over claims they will not preside over land reforms if elected. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]
By David Ochami
KENYA: According the Ipsos Synovate opinion poll, Prime Minister Raila Odinga's popularity rating in Mombasa County was 70 per cent on February 14 compared to Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta's 17 per cent.
Previous polls have shown that ODM and its CORD coalition partners enjoy more support in the Coast's six counties at 67 per cent, except for Lamu, where Jubilee enjoys greater support of the 51,000 voters.
CORD's strategists believe the union of the ODM and Wiper Democratic Movement will boost Raila's popularity in the province in areas like Kwale and Taita Taveta, where Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has a base in areas like Shimba Hills and Taveta constituency.
But Jubilee Alliance strategists are not giving up and are determined to build on the support in Lamu and areas like Mtwapa in Kilifi County and Mombasa, where Uhuru's TNA enjoys a bloc vote.
Early this month, controversial Muslim cleric Sheikh Juma Ngao, a former vocal PM supporter and most national officials of the Council of Imams of Preachers of Kenya defected to Uhuru's camp.
The Muslim vote in Coast will be divided, unlike in 2007 when most Muslims voted for Raila. But in areas like Kwale, whose CIPK branch refused to defect, most Muslims are expected not to vote on religious lines.
Sticky issue
"It is only Raila who can implement the Constitution and we do not trust Jubilee over the land question in Coast Province," says Sheikh Amir Khamis Banda, a staunch PM supporter, whose branch of the CIPK, which he chairs, refused to defect to Jubilee.
In the last three weeks, the land question has become a leading issue in political campaigns in the province. It is threatening Jubilee's fortunes in Taita Taveta, especially where Uhuru suddenly cancelled a rally last weekend, reportedly due to the anxiety sparked by early this month's claim by Uhuru's cousin Beth Mugo that the Kenyatta family has donated a fraction of the vast Gicheha Farm to squatters.
The claim has sparked a quarrel between Mugo and Uhuru ally Naomi Shaban, who accused the Public Health Minister of "blowing the issue out" with her statement that land was being shared out.
The Provincial Administration and Dr Shaban insist land adjudication is taking place but local activists claim it is a hoax and demand evidence.
A local lawyer says the Kenyatta family cannot legally share out this land, if it has held it on leasehold without first surrendering it to the Government.
Some local leaders claim the Kenyatta family has made pledges to share out portions of its vast land estate in this region at election for populist reasons during elections but Dr Shaban says the Kenyatta family means well this time.
However on Wednesday, she admitted that land adjudication had stalled when numbers of those seeking settlement began to rise uncontrollably.
She said the local officials intended to settle 300 families but the numbers suddenly swelled to 1,000.
And Shaban blamed Mugo of jumping the gun with her declarations that the Kenyatta family had actually shared out land.
From the foregoing, it is evident that landlessness, squatters and past land injustices and the Jomo Kenyatta legacy on land in areas like Lamu, Mpeketoni and Kwale is turning out to be a defining factor in the presidential campaign for Coast Province's 1.16 million votes and has put immense pressure on Uhuru's forays into Coast although the Jubilee presidential candidate's handlers cited "unavoidable circumstances" for the sudden change of plans.
Launched attacks
Prior to the recent events, Jubilee leaders had often launched attacks on Raila and the Lands Minister James Orengo whenever they visited in an attempt to portray the latter of being incapable of solving the complex land problems in Coast.
The background of this strategy is the perception held by many local people here that the Kenyatta regime is, largely, responsible for the land crisis in the province and also that, despite its problems at the national level in the past five years ODM, largely, remained intact in the province, having scooped more seats than PNU in many counties at the 2007 polls.
"We are the only political party with a network in this region," says Raila's pointman Hassan Ali Joho, who is liaising with outgoing Likoni legislator Mwalimu Masoud Mwahima and Environment Assistant minister Ramadhan Kajembe to galvanise the CORD vote.
Joho believes that aside from Raila's own personal standing in most parts of Coast, ODM hence CORD require no introduction compared to TNA and other progenies of the defunct PNU.
"Jubilee will end the perennial squatter problem at the Coast. ODM has not been serious in resolving landlessness because it has held the Ministry of Lands for the past five years and failed to deliver," Uhuru's running mate William Ruto said when he addressed a Jubilee rally in Kwale late January, a remark intended to demonstrate that CORD is not capable of land reform.
Conscious of widespread local ethnic perceptions about upcountry land owners in Coast, Environment minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere argues local people sold their land willingly. Mwakwere has lately claimed Uhuru does not "own a plot of land" anywhere in Coast. Mwakwere, Shaban and immediate former Kaloleni legislator Kambi Kazungu are Jubilee's lead strategists in Coast against CORD's Joho, Tourism Minister Dan Mwazo, Fisheries minister Amason Kingi and outgoing Galole MP Dhadho Godhana among others.
Believing that perceptions of the land question could be Jubilee's Achilles heel in Coast, CORD leaders have accused regime operatives allied to Jubilee of frustrating the formation of the National Land Commission whose chairman Dr Mohamed Swazuri is a native of Kwale County.
New charter
They also argue that implementation of the new Constitution which Ruto rejected alongside the Islamic courts in the new charter is the lasting remedy to the land question here.
Anti-Jubilee feelings tend to be strongest in areas with acute land problems like Kwale and Taita Taveta yet Jubilee is also strong in areas like Mtwapa in Kilifi County and Lamu County as well as parts of Taveta due to the high number of immigrants from Central.
Standard Digital News - Kenya : Land question hurts Jubilee in Coast counties
Jubilee Alliance luminaries at a rally in Mombasa. They have had to do damage control
over claims they will not preside over land reforms if elected. [PHOTO: FILE/STANDARD]
By David Ochami
KENYA: According the Ipsos Synovate opinion poll, Prime Minister Raila Odinga's popularity rating in Mombasa County was 70 per cent on February 14 compared to Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta's 17 per cent.
Previous polls have shown that ODM and its CORD coalition partners enjoy more support in the Coast's six counties at 67 per cent, except for Lamu, where Jubilee enjoys greater support of the 51,000 voters.
CORD's strategists believe the union of the ODM and Wiper Democratic Movement will boost Raila's popularity in the province in areas like Kwale and Taita Taveta, where Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka has a base in areas like Shimba Hills and Taveta constituency.
But Jubilee Alliance strategists are not giving up and are determined to build on the support in Lamu and areas like Mtwapa in Kilifi County and Mombasa, where Uhuru's TNA enjoys a bloc vote.
Early this month, controversial Muslim cleric Sheikh Juma Ngao, a former vocal PM supporter and most national officials of the Council of Imams of Preachers of Kenya defected to Uhuru's camp.
The Muslim vote in Coast will be divided, unlike in 2007 when most Muslims voted for Raila. But in areas like Kwale, whose CIPK branch refused to defect, most Muslims are expected not to vote on religious lines.
Sticky issue
"It is only Raila who can implement the Constitution and we do not trust Jubilee over the land question in Coast Province," says Sheikh Amir Khamis Banda, a staunch PM supporter, whose branch of the CIPK, which he chairs, refused to defect to Jubilee.
In the last three weeks, the land question has become a leading issue in political campaigns in the province. It is threatening Jubilee's fortunes in Taita Taveta, especially where Uhuru suddenly cancelled a rally last weekend, reportedly due to the anxiety sparked by early this month's claim by Uhuru's cousin Beth Mugo that the Kenyatta family has donated a fraction of the vast Gicheha Farm to squatters.
The claim has sparked a quarrel between Mugo and Uhuru ally Naomi Shaban, who accused the Public Health Minister of "blowing the issue out" with her statement that land was being shared out.
The Provincial Administration and Dr Shaban insist land adjudication is taking place but local activists claim it is a hoax and demand evidence.
A local lawyer says the Kenyatta family cannot legally share out this land, if it has held it on leasehold without first surrendering it to the Government.
Some local leaders claim the Kenyatta family has made pledges to share out portions of its vast land estate in this region at election for populist reasons during elections but Dr Shaban says the Kenyatta family means well this time.
However on Wednesday, she admitted that land adjudication had stalled when numbers of those seeking settlement began to rise uncontrollably.
She said the local officials intended to settle 300 families but the numbers suddenly swelled to 1,000.
And Shaban blamed Mugo of jumping the gun with her declarations that the Kenyatta family had actually shared out land.
From the foregoing, it is evident that landlessness, squatters and past land injustices and the Jomo Kenyatta legacy on land in areas like Lamu, Mpeketoni and Kwale is turning out to be a defining factor in the presidential campaign for Coast Province's 1.16 million votes and has put immense pressure on Uhuru's forays into Coast although the Jubilee presidential candidate's handlers cited "unavoidable circumstances" for the sudden change of plans.
Launched attacks
Prior to the recent events, Jubilee leaders had often launched attacks on Raila and the Lands Minister James Orengo whenever they visited in an attempt to portray the latter of being incapable of solving the complex land problems in Coast.
The background of this strategy is the perception held by many local people here that the Kenyatta regime is, largely, responsible for the land crisis in the province and also that, despite its problems at the national level in the past five years ODM, largely, remained intact in the province, having scooped more seats than PNU in many counties at the 2007 polls.
"We are the only political party with a network in this region," says Raila's pointman Hassan Ali Joho, who is liaising with outgoing Likoni legislator Mwalimu Masoud Mwahima and Environment Assistant minister Ramadhan Kajembe to galvanise the CORD vote.
Joho believes that aside from Raila's own personal standing in most parts of Coast, ODM hence CORD require no introduction compared to TNA and other progenies of the defunct PNU.
"Jubilee will end the perennial squatter problem at the Coast. ODM has not been serious in resolving landlessness because it has held the Ministry of Lands for the past five years and failed to deliver," Uhuru's running mate William Ruto said when he addressed a Jubilee rally in Kwale late January, a remark intended to demonstrate that CORD is not capable of land reform.
Conscious of widespread local ethnic perceptions about upcountry land owners in Coast, Environment minister Chirau Ali Mwakwere argues local people sold their land willingly. Mwakwere has lately claimed Uhuru does not "own a plot of land" anywhere in Coast. Mwakwere, Shaban and immediate former Kaloleni legislator Kambi Kazungu are Jubilee's lead strategists in Coast against CORD's Joho, Tourism Minister Dan Mwazo, Fisheries minister Amason Kingi and outgoing Galole MP Dhadho Godhana among others.
Believing that perceptions of the land question could be Jubilee's Achilles heel in Coast, CORD leaders have accused regime operatives allied to Jubilee of frustrating the formation of the National Land Commission whose chairman Dr Mohamed Swazuri is a native of Kwale County.
New charter
They also argue that implementation of the new Constitution which Ruto rejected alongside the Islamic courts in the new charter is the lasting remedy to the land question here.
Anti-Jubilee feelings tend to be strongest in areas with acute land problems like Kwale and Taita Taveta yet Jubilee is also strong in areas like Mtwapa in Kilifi County and Lamu County as well as parts of Taveta due to the high number of immigrants from Central.
Standard Digital News - Kenya : Land question hurts Jubilee in Coast counties
