A mega investment deal by Mombasa businessman Suleiman Shahbal has taken a political twist after President William Ruto openly moved to discourage him from pursuing the Mombasa gubernatorial position.
In an unusual intervention in a race expected to be closely watched in the 2027 elections, Dr Ruto said he had personally advised Mr Shahbal against seeking the county’s top seat.
He argued that the Coast businessman can serve Kenya better by creating jobs and investing in business than by joining elective politics.
“I remember telling Mr Shahbal that I know you want to run for Mombasa governor, and I told him I am against it. Forgive me, my brother, Shahbal, but you are a great entrepreneur,” Dr Ruto said.
'Stick to entrepreneurship,' Ruto tells Mombasa gubernatorial hopeful Suleiman Shahbal
The President was speaking at State House, Nairobi, on Tuesday during the signing of a Sh12 billion agreement between Mr Shahbal’s GulfCap Group and global logistics company DP World to develop a 535-acre Special Economic Zone in Jomvu.
“We have too many people who can be politicians, and I am one of them. It is not that politicians are less human beings. But this country cannot be grown by politicians alone. We need serious industrialists, serious investors and Kenyans who can do many things that can grow this country,” he said.
Dr Ruto went further, contrasting Mr Shahbal’s economic contribution with the challenges that come with running a county government.
“Look at what you are doing with this. It will get 10,000 people working. It is better than you going there and being troubled by MCAs, being shouted at, facing demonstrations and being abused,” he said.
The President’s remarks place Mr Shahbal’s return to the Mombasa gubernatorial race under a new political spotlight.
A few weeks ago, the businessman said that he would not withdraw his candidature this time, having stepped down in the 2022 contest in favour of Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.
His decision in 2022 came after interventions by former ODM leader Raila Odinga, former president Uhuru Kenyatta, Mining CS Hassan Joho, who was the outgoing Mombasa governor and deputy ODM leader, among other influential political leaders.
“I will not step down this time. I will vie in a party that upholds democratic principles. Mombasa needs transformation, and I am ready to offer that leadership,” he said recently.
In an interview with the Nation earlier this week, Mr Shahbal reiterated that his move to partner with Mombasa County Government and DP World to invest in the multibillion economic zone should not be taken politically. This was after reports made the rounds that the deal might be used to discourage him from making another stab at the Mombasa governorship in 2027.
The businessman-cum-politician whose GulfCap company was behind the Buxton housing project is not a newcomer to the Mombasa gubernatorial contest. He has pursued the seat repeatedly over the years through different parties and built a political profile alongside his business interests.
His argument has consistently centred on the need for leadership capable of attracting investment, creating employment and transforming the local economy. However, those are also the qualities Dr Ruto praised while urging him to remain outside elective politics.
The Jomvu SEZ is expected to attract manufacturers, logistics companies and other investors while creating thousands of direct and indirect employment opportunities. It is being positioned as a major industrial investment for Mombasa and part of efforts to exploit the county’s strategic location as Kenya’s gateway to the region.
The President pointed to the need for more Kenyan companies to take up major government contracts, arguing that local entrepreneurs should build firms capable of competing with international companies.
“We are looking for contractors who can take up jobs worth up to Sh20 billion to do our major projects. Today, many of our major projects are being done by Chinese companies, and we have tremendous respect for them because without them we would never have built some of the major infrastructure projects. But there is space for Kenyan entrepreneurs like Mr Shahbal to build major construction companies and develop serious financial capabilities,” the Head of State said.
The President did not, however, endorse any particular candidate for the Mombasa governorship. The emerging contest includes Mr Shahbal (ODM), UDA Secretary-General Hassan Omar and the incumbent Governor Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM).
