Malindi Member of Parliament Aisha Jumwa has lost her bid to become Kilifi County Governor.
Final results released by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission- IEBC on Saturday, August 13, show that Aisha who was vying on a United Democratic Alliance- party ticket came in second in the contest against Gideon Mung’aro of Orange Democratic Movement- ODM.
Gideon Mung'aro was declared the governor-elect after garnering 147,773 votes while Aisha was second in the race with 65,893 votes.
Rise and Fall
Jumwa’s loss brings her long political career to a screeching halt. Her entry into the world of politics dates back to the 1990s when as a Kenya African National Unity- KANU youth leader.
The outgoing Malindi MP has been a gallant member of Deputy President William Ruto’s campaign in the concluded campaigns.
She served as the Councillor (equivalent to MCA) for Takangu Municipality in Malindi, Kilifi County between 1997 and 2007.
Jumwa was, however, thrust into the limelight during her days as Kilifi County Women Representative in the period between 2013 and 2017. She emerged as one of the most vocal politicians in Raila Odinga’s opposition camp while serving as an ODM MP.
Her fierce defense of the ODM party positions endeared her to ODM Leader Raila Odinga to an extent of referring to her as Mekatilili wa Menza- a brave legendary woman at the coast.
Her efforts were awarded when the ODM party nominated her as a member of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC).
In 2017, Jumwa was elected as the MP for Malindi Constituency, a position she held until August 2022. Her relationship with the ODM party, however, changed when she took a different route and showed signs of inclination toward DP Ruto’s ‘hustler’ politics.
Her defection was not taken lightly by ODM, a moment that would change her fortunes in the Raila Odinga party. The party’s purge of rebel members fell on her which saw her expelled from the party in March 2019.
Jumwa then focused her efforts on succeeding Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi as the county’s second Governor. In a display of optimism, she opted to run on a UDA ticket despite the county being a conventional ODM stronghold.
The Kilifi political landscape, however, took another turn when the outgoing governor Amason Kingi joined the Kenya Kwanza Alliance where UDA is a member party.
Kingi’s PAA party was vouching for Jumwa’s opponent George Kithi, a move that appeared to make Jumwa uncomfortable in the Kenya Kwanza camp.
In the run-up to the elections, Jumwa went lowkey in the UDA presidential campaigns in the coast region.
Despite her defeat, her political career which spans over 20 years has earned a big name not only in the coast region politics but also at the national level.
