President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition has suffered a huge blow after senior officials of the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) party associated with Senate Speaker Amason Kingi decamped to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
ODM leader Raila Odinga received the officials on Thursday, January 18 at the party’s headquarters in Chungwa House, Nairobi.
The leaders accused Speaker Kingi of abandoning them since the Kenya Kwanza coalition formed the government.
Former Member of the County Assembly in Kilifi John Mwamutsi said the Kenya Kwanza government lacks inclusivity as Kingi is the only government official from the PAA party.
The former MCA also complained that the current government is yet to deliver on the promises it made ahead of the 2022 general election.
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"We formed the PAA party with three crucial goals: inclusivity, land freedom, and economic empowerment. Surprisingly, when PAA ventured into Kenya First, the matter of inclusivity was thrown out the window. In Kenya Kwanza government, the is only one person representing PAA and that is Kingi,” said Mwamutsi.
He continued,” Secondly, we said that we should fight for our lands through the government that will be formed. Just the other day, you saw houses being demolished in Voi by the Kenya Kwanza government. Now, as the founder of PAA, and having established a government where our people are suffering, should I stay in this coalition?"
PAA national youth leader Samir Nyundo on his part said they have locked down all PAA offices countrywide.
Nyundo handed over the keys of the offices to Raila signaling they had left the Kingi-led party.
Initially, PAA was in the Azimio la Umoja coalition but joined the Kenya Kwanza coalition weeks into the 2022 general election.
After the elections, the Kenya Kwanza coalition fronted Kingi for the Senate Speaker position and garnered 46 votes out of a possible 67.
