Amason Kingi: Former Raila loyalist reaping big for backing Ruto

Jeffah Amason Kingi was on Thursday elected as the 3rd speaker of Kenya’s Senate after 46 legislators voted for him during the house’s first sitting.

The 48-year-old legislator is a trained lawyer, who holds an LLB from the University of Nairobi. He is married to Liz Kingi and has children.

Kingi’s political breakthrough was in 2003, when he won the Magarini MP seat. In the 2007 polls, Kingi retained the Magarini seat, and also served as a Minister for East African Community from 2008-2010, before serving in the Ministry of Fisheries from 2010 - 2013.

In 2013, Kingi became the first Governor of Kilifi County, a position he held for two terms before his retirement in August 2022.

He clinched the elective seats under the ODM Party, being among the firebrand politicians who ensured Raila Odinga secured the coastal region from one election cycle to another.

However, in 2021 Kingi fell out with his boss Odinga, leading to his removal from the role of ODM Chairperson in Kilifi County.

In what he termed as betrayal, Odinga replaced Kingi with Ganze Member of Parliament (MP) Teddy Mwambire.

The disagreement was occasioned by Kingi’s initiative to form a different political outfit for the Coastal region.

In September 2021, he actualized his plans to have a coastal party after forming the Pamoja Africa Alliance.

Kingi would then mend ties with Raila Odinga in December 2021, after PAA joined the later’s Azimio la Umoja Coalition.

In another surprise move, Kingi’s PAA ditched Azimio over what they termed as unfair treatment and dishonesty.

From being a Raila Odinga loyalist, Amason Kingi found a new home in William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition in May 2022.

The pre-election pact between him and Ruto saw him earn the speaker position in the 3rd Senate.