Mombasa politicians continue to gang up against former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko in his bid to succeed Governor Hassan Joho, warning voters not to be swayed by his theatrics.
The leaders drawn from ODM and UDA, led by Senator Mohammed Faki and Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, warned residents against electing Mr Sonko in the August 9 elections, saying he will not develop the port city.
Mr Ali, who is defending his Nyali seat on a UDA ticket, said Mr Sonko is a political reject.
“How can we stoop so low to allow a reject to come and vie in Mombasa? The entry of Mr Sonko into the gubernatorial race is despising to the people of Mombasa. It is heartbreaking to think somebody whose character is known by everyone, has cases in court and was impeached, sees Mombasa as the easiest place to contest,” he said.
Mr Ali said Deputy President William Ruto’s UDA wants to liberate Mombasa. Mr Ali termed Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo a coward for agreeing to be Mr Sonko’s running mate.
“Mr Mbogo has sold our souls. He is a big coward, he refused to work with gubernatorial contenders including Hassan Omar, Abdulswamad Nassir and Suleiman Shahbal and went out to source for Mr Sonko who is a big joke. At first, Mr Sonko wanted to join UDA but we rejected him because his ideologies are not in tandem with ours,” he claimed.
Mr Ali challenged Mr Sonko to come up with better initiatives to help residents instead of Sonko Rescue Team.
“Those bowsers he is using for water, the clean-up exercise, those are not long term strategies, it is to woo voters. I pity the youth who are being swayed by those cars,” he said.
The lawmaker campaigned for UDA’s gubernatorial candidate Omar, saying he is the most suitable aspirant in the race to succeed Mr Joho.
“We have a blueprint on how to develop Mombasa, revamp the economy and develop the city. The difference between us and them is that we have ideologies and they have money. The rest will bribe you into voting for them and later when they are in power do business to return their campaign funds,” he said.
He added that politics is about strategy. Mr Ali said soon they will conduct major campaigns at the grassroots to woo voters.
“As UDA, we don’t seek votes using uncouth means. Don’t elect those campaigning with over 50 cars, after elections those vehicles will go back to the parking and the person will ensure he gets back the funds he used in the electioneering period,” he said.
He said UDA politicians do not have corruption money to bribe voters but they have lobbied for better deals in UDA for the coast region.
“We won’t get the Tourism or Sports ministry as has been the norm, this time we want big names in ministries such as Finance, Agriculture and Internal Security. We have also negotiated for more slots in the national government, including ambassadorial positions. If we get the Internal Security ministry we will deal with extrajudicial killings,” he said.
The lawmaker said Mr Joho was once appointed assistant minister while still serving as Kisauni MP yet he did not help the coastal people or his constituents.
“When you are given such opportunities you must empower people. You have been in leadership for over 15 years, from MP, assistant minister and now governor but there’s nothing to show for it, no development or anything. What will residents remember you for?” he asked.
