As tension between Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa and her party, ODM, continues to escalate over her stand ahead of 2022 politics, the Raila Odinga-led party is keen to take punitive measures against all perceived rebels with the fiery lawmaker being top on the list. But Raila should tread with caution.
There is no doubt that the Malindi MP is the most powerful female politician in the Coast region today.
She has many followers in her native Kilifi County. And the fact that she wrestled male politicians to win the seat last year can attest to that.
Therefore, if ODM is going to kick her out of the powerful Parliamentary Service Commission as National Assembly Minority Whip Junet Mohamed is reportedly initiating the process should be done with care. Why?
Kilifi County is seemingly becoming the epicenter of ODM rebellion in the Coast region if the recent political happenings are anything to go by with Governor Amason Kingi blowing hot and cold on whether he is still in the Orange Party amid claims that he is being courted by Deputy President William Ruto.
Also on the list is Kilifi North MP Owen Bays. So what does this mean to ODM? Should the Aisha Jumwa issue be handled carelessly, the whole thing would blow up to become an open rebellion which will further dim the party's grip on the region's politics.
Further, with the likes of Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani surviving in the past even after defying ODM, Jumwa might follow their footsteps and prove to be ODM's nightmare in the region.