- Thoya, who served in Joho’s government from 2013 to 2019, was on the shortlist of three individuals who were likely to be picked.
- He urged Mombasa residents to desist from a few selfish leaders who are hell-bent to divide them along tribal and religious lines.
Image: LABAN WALLOGA
Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir on Tuesday named former Nation journalist Francis Thoya as his running mate in the Mombasa governor race.
Nassir said after extensive consultation, he settled on Thoya as his choice because of his experience in governance.
Thoya, who until his appointment as Nassir’s running mate was working as a director for UK's Department for International Development, is also said to be a strong grassroots mobiliser.
Speaking during the unveiling of Thoya at Mombasa’s Serani grounds, Nassir said they will help each other in transforming Mombasa.
"I arrived at this decision after consulting you, the people of Mombasa. As agreed, mine would be a people-centred government where you will have a say in what happens," Nassir said.
He described Thoya as a hardworking and dedicated leader, who stood out among those fronted to be his running mates.
"All the people whom we engaged were highly qualified and deserved the position, but Thoya stood out and performed better," he said.
Thoya, who served in Joho’s government from 2013 to 2019, was on the shortlist of three individuals who were likely to be picked.
The others were Mombasa county secretary Joab Tumbo and Barbra Ngome, who works at Governor Joho’s office.
Ngome is the leader of the Governor’s Young Leaders Programme.
Nassir said Thoya served with distinction during his tenure as Mombasa Lands executive and later as county Secretary.
Prior to his appointment in Joho’s government, Thoya also served as a secretary to the Coast Parliamentary Group, which brings onboard all elected and nominated legislators from the region.
"Thoya served with distinction as a secretary for the Coast Parliamentary Group. I believe he will help me in our agenda for the people of Mombasa," Nassir said.
In his acceptance speech, Thoya declared his total support for Nassir, saying he had to heed the call from Mombasa people who persuaded him to work with the outgoing Mvita MP.
He said he was ready to hit the ground running to help reclaim ODM's lost glory in Mombasa.
Thoya urged Mombasa residents to desist from a few selfish leaders who are hell-bent to divide them along tribal and religious lines.
"Mombasa has the history of bringing all communities together. Let us strive to retain and maintain that," he said.
“I do not condone tribalism and as you can all see today here, my father is a Mijikenda and my mother is from Kendu Bay and I am married to a Taita.”
Thoya is expected to consolidate the more than 260,000 Mijikenda votes for Nassir. Out of the about 600,000 Mombasa registered voters, the Mijikenda are the single largest voting bloc in the region.
Thoya was among individuals fronted to be Joho's deputy in 2017. By that time, the governor had fallen out with his first deputy, Hazel Katana.
However, Thoya felt short-changed when William Kingi, a lecturer at the Technical University of Mombasa, was picked at the last minute.
(edited by Amol Awuor)