Matuga: Parties Stuck in Past, Behind Voters

By Matuga Insider

The Matuga by-election results deserve a deeper analysis to reveal the changing Kenyan political dynamics. I am not here to rain on anybody's parade but give an honest account of Coast's local politics.

First let us not kid ourselves that Makwere did something extraordinary. No as evident in the proportion of votes by the two leading contenders. Granted one had to win but let go through the whole episode with a tooth comb, shall we?

First of all, the youth brigades were equally represented on both sides of the camps' defence and offense. All the candidates were liked if not loved by their respective home crowds. The approval rating was clearly evident in their response, praise and acclamation.

As a matter of fact, both candidates received ten thousand plus votes.

No need for blinkers. Religion was never issue because all candidates were aware of the votes from both religious camps and ethnicities involved. Religion only becomes an issues on the main islands of Mombasa, Malindi and Lamu for obvious historical reasons known to many by now.

The main chip that earned Mwakwere a huge chunk of the Matuga vote was none other his high profile and the alleged presidential guarantee of the reserved ministerial post (bendera) for the native son of Matuga.

While the ODM candidate was viewed as a potential backbencher who not even survive the on coming 2012 onslaught. The death nail was ODM's upcountry cavalry. they were the most boring of any politicians ever seen or heard in the region during an election time. They were the ones who were boring and not the ODM candidate himself.

The upcountry ODMers could not speak a coherent sentence in fluent Swahili, instead they were full of themselves and thought that the Nairobi "sheng" would endear them to the people of Matuga. It didn't and it never does.

The biggest anatheema was ODM's mondus operandi, and the misplaced belief that they wow the Matuga crowds by using the Queen's vernacular to vouch for their "chosen one."

The 'Mombasa Billionaire Factor' was another factor that made the ODM candidate to be labeled as a "sell out" and "representative of outsiders".

Hence, one of the reasons ODM's Najib Balala ("Yule Fulani") was asked to stay away or keep a safe distance from the Matuga crossfires.

While PNU became good bed fellows with the locals from the get go as opposed to ODM who have preferred to operate according to every command and edict that comes from their general who was missing in action as well as on the front lines.

Let the truth tell itself. If not tell us your otherwise.