Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi has renewed the supremacy battle with his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho.
This is after the governor on Thursday invited all the Members of Parliament (MPs) and Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) from the Coast region to organise a meeting so that they can chart the way forward for the community.
In the invitation, Kingi said that the leaders are expected to meet on Tuesday so that they can give direction to the community.
The governor highlighted that they are set to discuss a wide range of issues both locally and nationally during the meeting. The issue of the diminishing business at the port of Mombasa following the unveiling of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) is expected to take centre stage of the talks.
The meeting comes barely a month after Uhuru met the six governors from the region. In the past, Kingi has been advocating for the creation of a party that will enable them bargain for the national cake.
The idea of forming a new party has received backing from different leaders across the region. Former Jubilee aspirant for the governorship Suleiman Shahbal has backed the idea.
“Clearly as we head towards 2022, Coast needs to get its negotiating platform ready. The options are either through a coast-based party or to support our regional kingpins Joho and Kingi through the existing major parties and stake our claim at the national table – otherwise put away our plates and prepare to lick the crumbs as they fall off the high table. As Coastal people, we have something to learn from the Somali community,” he said.