Speculations were rife on Saturday morning, July 3, after COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli posted a photo of a meeting with Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and her Msambweni counterpart Feisal Bader. The photo raised eyebrows among their followers bearing in mind that the two leaders are nemeses, often trolling each other in public rallies. Additionally, they are in opposite political divides with Atwoli in Kieleweke, a faction that supports President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga and Jumwa in Tangatanga, a faction that backs Deputy President Willliam Ruto.
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From left; Msambweni MP Fiesal Bader, COTU Secretary General Francis Atwoli and Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa during a meeting in Malindi.
On the other hand, Bader is a lawmaker who was mainly supported by the DP’s allies when campaigning for the Msambweni seat which was held in December 2020.
ODM Communications Director Philip Etale disclosed that the three leaders met in Malindi and discussed matters politics.
“Could there be something cooking?” Etale posed.
The COTU Secretary General was yet to respond to[I] Kenyans.co.ke[/I] on what the trio discussed by the time of publishing.
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The two leaders have been exchanging words and insults over 2022 succession politics in the past.
In April, Jumwa referred to the COTU boss as ‘Mwanaume bwege’ which is Swahili for a good-for-nothing man.
She explained that Atwoli was only keen on stopping Deputy President William Ruto from becoming president in 2022, but had no aspirations of his own.
On the other hand, Atwoli once ridiculed the MP on his perception of her beauty.
"Achana na huyo mama, hata sio type yangu, huyo hata si taste yangu. Anacheza sana na jina yangu. Mpime na ruler, hata hana kiuno (Leave her alone, she is not my type, she is not my taste. She is just playing with my name. She doesn’t even have a waist)," Atwoli had stated.
Jumwa would respond saying that she did not desire the trade unionist either, sparking a back and forth between the leaders and their allies.
Meanwhile…ODM leader Raila Odinga vowed to jail leaders who stole from public coffers when elected to State House in the 2022 General Elections.
Speaking in Mvita on Saturday, July 3, the former Prime Minister claimed that some leaders steal millions of shillings from the taxpayer and donate the monies to churches, youth organizations and women groups.
Mr Odinga opined that some of the public servants in Kenya should be in Shimo la Tewa prison for the crimes they have committed against the Kenyan public.
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ODM leader Raila Odinga with Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho
“These are the hyenas that you see that come here in sheep’s clothing they claim they want to fundraise for women groups… people will say this person is generous and he fears God because he’s helping the churches, the women groups and the youth groups but you are bought with your money that they have stolen,” Odinga stated.
“Where does he get the millions from? No one questions where this money is from. These are thieves who should be in Shimo la Tewa but they are walking all over in helicopters… when we get in government we will jail all these people,” he continued.
Mr Odinga called out leaders for stealing from the taxpayers who struggle to access good healthcare. He was also launching the NHIF registration drive in Mvita Constituency, Mombasa County.
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“3,000 households translating to 12,000 people in Mvita Constituency are set to benefit from the local NG-CDF sponsored program for access to affordable healthcare which will be launched today by HE Raila Odinga. NHIF will register them today for the program,” a statement from ODM Communications director read.
The former Premier also touched on the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) appeal case where he noted that he has confidence they will not be stopped.
His sentiments came two days after Trends and Insights For Africa (TIFA), an African-based research company released the results of an opinion survey they conducted to determine the popularity of the BBI.
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Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir
TIFA stated that the results demonstrated the unpopularity of the initiative with only 19 percent declaring their support for the initiative.
According to the poll, 31 percent of those sampled indicated they would vote against the BBI proposals if the referendum were to be held today.
Odinga was hosted by Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho who also hinted at joining the ODM leader to form government in 2022.