Crowd at Tononoka grounds, Mombasa during Jubilee's rally on Sunday.
With barely five months remaining to the August elections, the Coast region is proving to be a hotly contested political arena with the ruling Jubilee Party keen to woo voters in the region.
However, it is the opposition NASA coalition that should have a reason to worry as the region that was once perceived their stronghold seems to be shifting away if the latest developments there are anything to go by.With 1.2 million votes up for grab, Coast region may determine the next occupant of State House even as ODM and NASA coalition in general embark on a daunting task to cement their political bedrock ahead of the poll.The Uhuru Kenyatta-led Jubilee party has always shown insatiable appetite to make inroads in the region, a move that is seemingly bearing fruits with over 15 politicians who were elected on NASA affiliate parties switching their allegiance to the ruling party.For Mombasa County which is the epicenter of Coast politics, President Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto are keen to raffle the kinship of Governor Hassan Joho who has always been Jubilee’s headache in the region. For Joho, his deputy’s move to Jubilee should make him a worried man. However, her move should not be Jubilee’s reason to celebrate as it was termed inconsequential with her rivals dismissing her as having no clout in Mombasa politics.Should Jubilee continue invading NASA's Coast region territory as they are doing now, then they would have increased their chances of re-election. And for the opposition, their chances to deny the current regime a second term in office will depend on how well they will keep Jubilee’s encroachment of their political bases at bay.