Former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana at a past function. Photo/ mpasho.co.ke
The defection of Tana River Governor Hussein Dado from Wiper Party to Jubilee has complicated the political future of former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana who has also declared interest in the county’s top seat. The region’s gubernatorial race has already attracted six candidates including Dado, Mungatana, Dhadho Godana (former Galole MP), Abdi Nuh (speaker), Adam Barrisa (the immediate former Trade executive) and Ismail Algi (former Finance Executive). Mungatana will have to go an extra mile to clinch the seat in the area which is known to vote along ethnic lines. Dado will be defending his seat on a Jubilee ticket after he defected from Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Party.Sources close to Mungatana indicate that he had opted to defect to NASA but quickly made a U-turn after consulting his political advisers over the move. Meanwhile, Godana who is considered to be a stronger candidate than Mungatana, is apparently one of the reasons the former MP is not considering defecting to Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ahead of the August polls.Godana will lock horns with Barrisa for the ODM ticket during the nominations, amid speculations that Barissa is likely to defect from ODM due to the stiff competition.Political observes indicate that he is patiently waiting to see whether the Independent Boundaries and Electoral Commission (IEBC) will bar him from contesting because of his questionable academic qualifications. On the other hand, Algi stands the lowest chances of becoming the next county boss because he hails from the same community with the incumbent. However, Prof Hamadi Mboga, a Coast-based political analyst argues that Mungatana still stands a chance to beat Dado.“It’s not how small you join the war, but how tactful you are,’’ he said, as quoted by the Star.