Karisa Maitha's sister to be unveiled as Shahbal's running mate

Former Cabinet minister Karisa Maitha’s sister will be unveiled today as a running mate for businessman Suleiman Shahbal in the race for Mombasa governor.

Mr Shahbal, one of the frontrunners eyeing the ODM ticket, confirmed picking Mrs Selina Maitha Lewa as his running mate in the August 9 elections.

Mrs Lewa is a younger sister of Mr Maitha, who died in 2004 while on a work trip to Germany.

Other politicians in the race for the ODM ticket are Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir and Deputy Governor William Kingi.

In an exclusive interview with Nation.Africa, Mr Shahbal said the former government administrator is fit for the post.

Since the start of devolution in 2013, politicians in coastal counties have often sought to balance community representation and gender in their lineups.

Although his choice of a Maitha relative is expected to raise the political heat in the gubernatorial contest, Mr Shahbal insisted that he focused more on Mrs Lewa’s abilities as an individual rather than her relation to the Maithas or her gender.

“When seeking a deputy governor, you must keep it in the back of your mind that whoever you select could be the next governor in case of your death or anything. Select someone who is professional, competent and understands the agenda for Mombasa,” he said.

Mrs Lewa disclosed that she had an in-depth conversation with Mr Shahbal, for whom this will be the third stab at the governor’s seat, before she decided to join politics.

She had been a deputy county commissioner in Machakos and held the same position in acting capacity in Kalama sub-county until January this year.

She made her debut in public administration as a district officer in Kiambu, a position she held from 2004 to 2006.

She later held similar positions in different regions in Kilifi, Bomet and Narok.

“I was raised in a political family, but personally I have never been a politician. I was very close to my brother and before he passed away, he was devoted to serving his people wholly,” she said in an interview.

Mr Maitha had become one of the most influential politicians in the Coast region by the time he died.

His name is often mentioned alongside Coast political stalwarts like the late ministers Shariff Nassir and Ronald Ngala.

“I am eager to complete the work that my brother had started. He had a vision to find a permanent solution to the joblessness faced by our youth and infrastructural development,” she said. 

“My vision is to assist our residents to get scholarships, and the youth to get job opportunities through different means without relying on opportunities within the county government.

“There are ways (of increasing job opportunities) such as enabling industrialisation and public-private partnerships within the country and abroad so that our youth can get employment.”

Mrs Lewa explained that she has been in community leadership for two decades and can handle the responsibilities of deputy governor.

“I have been an administrator for a long time. I worked in the (national) government for 18 years and at community organisations for two years,” she said. 

“In total, I have been interacting with communities for 20 years. The field may change because (politics is rather chaotic) compared with where I came from but the roles remain to be serving the community.”

She urged fellow women to get more involved in leadership as early as they can if they have ambitions to become political leaders.

“Politics requires endurance. In every journey, you must start from somewhere. There are steps that you must follow,” she said. 

The race to succeed Governor Hassan Joho has also attracted former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar (UDA) and Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo (Wiper).

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