• Kalonzo and party chair Chirau Mwakwere, want to send a message that it is not automatic that the Msambweni MP seat will go to ODM.
• Mombasa is perceived as an ODM stronghold, but Wiper wants to change that.
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
Wiper members in Mombasa are preparing a grand reception for their party leader Kalonzo Musyoka as he seeks to revamp the outfit.
Kalonzo is expected to land in Mombasa on Saturday evening, before proceeding to Kwale. The party leader will on Sunday attend a church service in Diani before going on a meet-the-people tour. He will also meet party members in the county.
The former Vice President wants the party to flex its muscle in Kwale and Mombasa as he prepares the ground for his presidential campaigns.
Key in the tour is the Msambweni constituency by-election set for December 15.
Kalonzo and party chair Chirau Mwakwere, want to send a message that it is not automatic that the Msambweni MP seat will go to ODM.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Suleiman Dori on March 9.
Wiper has two aspirants, Sheikh Abdulrahman and Bashir Kilalo, who want the party ticket to vie for the seat.
Kalonzo is keen to avoid a fallout between the two. He wants to ensure he keeps both of them in the party. He is expected to find an amicable solution.
On Monday, Kalonzo will be in Mombasa where he is expected to open the first party office in the area in Gulshan along Jomo Kenyatta Avenue.
Wiper deputy organising secretary Salim Bajaber on Friday said, “We want to show that our party leader is popular in Mombasa. He has his people in Mombasa and can challenge anyone in any election here
Already, plans are underway to register more party members digitally. “We are going to paint Mombasa blue come 2022,” Bajaber said.
He spoke in the new party offices where he was accompanied by party secretary for religious affairs Sheikh Twaha Omar, Wiper Women Democrats Mombasa chair Mishi Arif and Wiper member Solomon Musyoka.
Sheikh Twaha said they are eagerly waiting for Kalonzo’s arrival.
“He is the leader Kenya deserves because of his clean record and God-fearing persona,” said Sheikh Twaha and Bajaber.
Arif said Wiper will empower Mombasa women political. “We will talk to women to come out and seek leadership positions through Wiper because that is the party that cares most about women,” Arif said.
Wiper is also keen to woo businessman Suleiman Shahbal back to the party.
In 2013, Shahbal vied for the Mombasa governor seat on a Wiper ticket after dumping ODM but lost to Governor Hassan Joho, who is in ODM.
Mombasa is perceived as an ODM stronghold, but Wiper wants to change that.
Shahbal however left Wiper for Jubilee in 2017 and used the party’s ticket to once again vie for the Governor seat. He lost to Joho for the second time.
Shahbal has now mended fences with Joho and the two are seen to be working together. Shahbal is preparing for a third stab at the governor position.
Speculation is rife the businessman will be re-joining ODM, owing to his numerous meetings with ODM leader Raila Odinga and his camaraderie with Joho.
But word that Wiper is seeking Shahbal’s return rattled Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo’s camp.
Mbogo has set his eyes on the governor position in 2022.
On September 19, Mbogo said they have worked tirelessly for the party in Mombasa and now they are preparing to take over the leadership of the county in 2022.
“We cannot take over Mombasa, with myself as the governor but with no soldiers to back me up,” he said.
Mbogo said they are working to ensure at least 75 per cent of the elective positions in Mombasa go to Wiper.
Mbogo said he fears no one and whoever wants to get the Wiper party ticket to vie for the governor position is free to do so.
“We know Mombasa has been dominated by ODM for many years but this time it will be different,” he said.
After the Mombasa tour, Kalonzo will head to Wundanyi in Taita Taveta county, where he will on Tuesday open a branch office before meeting delegates.
On Wednesday, Kalonzo will head to Kibwezi, then Wote before returning to Nairobi.