With the tug of war between ODM party and embattled Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa being far from over, the political outfit will have to go back to the drawing board to maintain its grip in the region's politics.
For the Raila Odinga-led party, the option may be to identify a strong politician from Malindi to counter Jumwa's growing political influence in the Coast region.
Jumwa's political future now lies in the hands of the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal after making an appeal against the party's decision to kick her out a fortnight ago. But her trouble is far from over.
Should the Tribunal uphold ODM's decision to expel Jumwa, what next for Raila Odinga in case of a by-election? There is no doubt that the former premier will identify a strong politician to face Aisha Jumwa in that election. Who could that be?
Former MP Willy Baraka Mtengo who lost to Jumwa in 2017 will be the right man to save Raila's party from humiliation.
Although he is not as influential as his successor, with the support of the party's political bigwigs like Raila himself and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, Mtengo has the ability to sink Jumwa politically and stamp ODM's rip in the region's political terrain.
If not, Raila will suffer an unwanted humiliation from the 'iron lady' of Coast politics.
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