Two aspirants for the Mombasa senate seat at the weekend traded accusations as the race for the slot intensifies. Without mentioning his name, former Kenya National Commission on Human Rights vice chair Hassan Omar accused Changamwe MP Ramadhan Kajembe of trying to scuttle his bid for the seat.
Both Omar and Kajembe are seeking the ODM party’s ticket to vie for the seat. Omar said democracy is about accepting competition and appreciating that things are changing. “Democracy is not going to Raila Odinga and telling him you want a certain individual to be told to step down. I am going all the way in this race,” said Omar.
He was speaking at Fort Jesus on Friday evening where he launched the social media platform for his campaign ahead of the official launch of his senatorial bid in a fortnight. “The century where you go and tell the President and the party leader that you want to seat on a certain seat and somebody should leave the seat for you is long gone,” he said.
He democracy demands that one should compete and concede defeat should one be defeated. He said the old guard should now make way for the new blood in leadership. He said there are misconceptions that the senate seat is for old people to go and rest. He said the seat is too crucial to be left to people in the twilight of their political careers.
However, Kajembe said though old, he has grown up in leadership. He said he has gathered leadership experience since he was 22 years when he first elected as a councilor in Mombasa. “Some people say they don’t want old men. Is there any house without an elder?” posed Kajembe during the opening of the Mlaleo CDF Health Centre on Saturday.
He said Omar already fears him as he has been mentioning names like (Prime Minister) Raila Odinga and (Kisauni MP Hassan) Joho, but has always avoided mentioning his (Kajembe’s) name. He said that is a sign of a coward who has already sensed defeat.