Stage set for epic battles in Coast after primaries
Right: ODM Leader Raila Odinga with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir during a meeting with elders from Mombasa. Left: Nyali MP Mohamed Ali with former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar during a UDA meeting in Mombasa.
The conclusion of the nomination process by the two leading parties has finally paved way for a titanic battle for Coast region’s 1.9 million votes.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) have unveiled their line-ups for the various elective positions following their recent party primaries.
The only hurdle remaining for the candidates is the clearance by the Independent, Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to vie in the August 9 General Election.
Political parties are required to submit names of their candidates to the IEBC by April 28, according to timelines issued by the commission. ODM and UDA will be banking on their flag-bearers to win the region’s 1,953,52 votes, after 240,377 new voters were added to its list.
This week, Dr Ruto unveiled the UDA team in Mombasa County to face ODM candidates, with Hassan Omar picked to run for governor, Khamisi Mwaguya for senator, and Fatma Bakari Barayan for woman rep.
Mr Omar will face off with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, whom ODM has given a direct ticket. The party settled on the MP after his main challenger, Mr Suleiman Shahbal, agreed to step down in a deal brokered by Mr Odinga. In the deal, Senator Mohamed Faki will now defend his seat. The development was announced by Mr Odinga late yesterday during a press conference at the party headquarters in Nairobi. He was flanked by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, who is also the party’s director of elections, and a host of their supporters.
“We had two strong candidates for the seat but Mr Shahbal has decided to step down and support Mr Nassir,” Mr Odinga said. Mr Shahbal will join Mr Odinga’s presidential campaign team.
“My interest was to bring change and development ... but it is not a must that the change must be brought by me,” Mr Shahbal said. Also having a direct ticket from Pamoja African Alliance (PAA) is Mombasa Deputy Governor William Kingi, who ditched ODM. In the parliamentary races, Nyali MP Mohamed Ali secured a direct UDA nomination as did Mbarak Hamid (Kisauni), Karisa Nzai Mnyika (Jomvu), Isaac Malilah (Changamwe), Omar Shallo (Mvita) and Mohamed Mwahima (Likoni).
They will face off with Likoni MP Mishi Mboko and Jomvu MP Badi Twalib who were proposed for direct ODM tickets. Others are Changamwe MP Omar Mwinyi, former Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba, Senator Mohammed Faki and Nyali parliamentary hopeful Said Abdalla.
In the Senate battle, Mr Khamisi Mwaguya will vie on an UDA ticket. In Kwale, the ODM gubernatorial flag-bearer will be former Agriculture Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) Hamadi Boga, who will face off with UDA’s Fatuma Achani, who is the Kwale deputy governor. For Msambweni, Kinango and Lungalunga constituencies, MPs Feisal Bader, Benjamin Tayari and Khatib Mwashetani all have direct UDA tickets. ODM has assured tickets for Zuleikha Hassan (Kinango), Hassan Mwanyoha (Matuga) and Marabu Chaka (Lungalunga). ODM conducted primaries in Msambweni which Hassan Mwakulonda won.
In Kilifi, UDA governorship candidate Aisha Jumwa, who is currently the Malindi MP, will fight it out with former Lands CAS Gideon Mung’aro of ODM. Also with a direct PAA ticket is lawyer George Kithi. In Tana River, UDA picked former Interior CAS Hussein Dado to be its flag-bearer in the gubernatorial contesy to face off with the incumbent, Dhadho Godhana who got the ODM ticket.
Former Garsen MP Danson Mungatana will fly the UDA flag in the Senate race aagainst ODM’s Juma Wario. In Taita Taveta, former governor John Mruttu will be the UDA candidate and will fight it out with Jubilee’s Granton Samboja.
Mwatate MP Andrew Mwadime, who also wants to unseat Samboja, decamped from ODM to the Communist Party of Kenya where he got a direct ticket. In Lamu, Governor Fahim Twaha will fly the Jubilee Party flag against Amani National Congress candidate Issa Timamy who got a direct ticket.
