Raila’s Political Moves Shake PAA’s Foundations on the Coast

As the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) proudly welcomes politicians who have defected from the Pamoja African Alliance (PAA), renewed political rivalry surfaces between the two parties, both vying for voter allegiance in Kilifi County.

For years, Kilifi has been a stronghold of the ODM, while the PAA, rooted in the county, has been striving to challenge and capture the stronghold.

ODM leader Raila Odinga is currently on a Coastal region tour this week, with Kilifi being his Wednesday destination. Earlier this week, he visited Lamu County on Monday and Tana River on Tuesday.

During his Kilifi tour, he is expected to officially launch the registration of new party members.

Tobias Befondo, popularly known as Banzi ra Koma, is one of the recent defectors from PAA to ODM. Befondo told Taifa Leo that he will continue to collaborate with other ODM politicians to strengthen their support in Kilifi County.

“I want to tell the people of Kilifi that the party that can help us is ODM. I was in PAA because we were told that the party would help solve the challenges facing us as coastal people, such as land issues. However, in my view, that was pure deception. I did not know early enough that others were using us as a ladder to fulfill their personal agendas,” said Befondo.

Befondo contested the ward representative seat in Kisurutini in 2022 under the PAA and was defeated by ODM’s ward representative Mae Mwadena.

Meanwhile, Rabai MP Anthony Kenga Mupe dismissed party politics, urging leaders to serve the people instead of perpetuating political agendas.

“This is not the time for party politics when there are numerous challenges affecting Kilifi residents. What is important now is to consider how we can collaborate and address these issues. The citizens elected us to serve them; they did not choose us to serve the party. The truth is that many of us were elected through parties, but for now, we must prioritize the citizens, and party matters can come later,” said Mupe.

Additionally, Mupe hinted at deciding which party to align with for his 2026 campaign.