• Shahbal lost the 2013 and 2017 general elections to Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
• Nassir was poised to be ODM's flag-bearer for Mombasa, but Shahbal's announcement he is joining ODM has rattled his camp.
ODM leader Raila Odinga is returning to Mombasa on Friday, his third visit to the Coast in a month.
He will be the chief guest during an event for the renewal of Mvita’s National Hospital Insurance Fund issuance of cards to more than 3,000 vulnerable families.
Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir will be Raila’s host at the Treasury Square on Mombasa Island.
Last year, Nassir released Sh12 million to NHIF for hospital insurance cover of 2,000 families within Mvita, which directly benefited at least 10,000 people.
Nassir, who is eyeing the Mombasa governor seat next year, says to ensure the success of Universal Health Cover, leaders must take up NHIF cover for their vulnerable constituents.
“Last year, during the first months of Covid-19 outbreak, we decided we will give medical cover to the vulnerable families through NHIF. This has worked very well and we are now supposed to renew the cover. We will also recruit more people,” Nassir said.
Two weeks ago, Raila was the chief guest during the launch of the Catheterisation Laboratory (Cath Lab) at the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. It was launched by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho.
Two governor candidates, Nassir and businessman Suleiman Shahbal, are both seeking the ODM ticket. The two used Raila’s stay at the Coast to try and outshine each other.
Shabhal, who has lost the governor race twice to Joho in 2013 (on the Wiper ticket) and in 2017 (on the Jubilee ticket), has since declared he will join ODM.
Nassir was poised to be ODM’s governor candidate flag-bearer in next year’s general election. However, the announcement by Shahbal that he has decamped to ODM has rattled Nassir's camp.
On Raila's recent tour, Shahbal had a private breakfast meeting with the ODM leader. Sources close to them said Raila told him the nomination process would be fair and transparent.
Shahbal was quick to share the photographs of the meeting with Raila on all his social media accounts. However, during the launch of the Cath Lab at Coast General, Nassir grabbed the opportunity to discredit Shahbal as a “disloyal person”.
Nassir, who has been in ODM since 2013, describe Shahbal as a party hopper, who campaigned vigorously against ODM and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in the previous elections. He said he is better placed to fly the ODM flag in the 2022 General Election, than anybody else.
“In 2022, the person standing behind this microphone (I) will be the ODM governor for Mombasa,” Nassir said.
In April, Shahbal and Nassir’s rivalry played out during Raila’s Coast tour, when Shahbal was denied an opportunity to address the roadside rallies in Kongowea, Tudor and Changamwe.
At Likoni, which was the venue for the BBI rally in Mombasa, Nassir and Shahbal’s teams waved placards and shouted down their rivals as the leaders spoke.
Recently, Nassir told the Star that his track-record speaks for itself.
“I do not need to worry so much about other people. I have a proven track record and the people of Mombasa will decide who their governor is,” he said.
On Wednesday, Shahbal was quoted in the Daily Nation saying that he does not need an endorsement to win the Mombasa governor race.
Even though Shahbal has declared he will run on an ODM ticket, sources within ODM's Mombasa branch said he is yet to go for new registration.
(Edited by V. Graham)