- The Mombasa rally at Tononoka grounds on Saturday has been named ‘The Ukombozi rally.’
- Ali said they will access the Tononoka ground, “either by sea, air or land.”
Image: JOHN CHESOLI
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) officials in Mombasa have accused their opponents of plotting to stop their Saturday's rally scheduled at Tononoka grounds.
Deputy President William Ruto is expected back to the Coast region on Thursday.
He will hold rallies and meetings in Taita Taveta, Tana River, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, and Mombasa counties ahead of Saturday's rally.
The Mombasa rally at Tononoka grounds on Saturday has been dubbed ‘The Ukombozi rally’.
On Monday, Mombasa UDA gubernatorial aspirant Hassan Omar said nothing will stop them from holding the rally at the Tononoka grounds.
Omar said there are plans by security apparatus and the Mombasa County government to deny them access to Tononoka grounds.
“Tononoka grounds does not belong to the county, it is private property. You don’t have to seek permission from the county to hold a meeting in Mononoke. We already spoke to the owner and booked the ground,” said Omar.
Speaking during a press conference at the Hustler Centre in Nyali, Omar was flanked by his running mate Selina Maitha, Senate aspirant Hamisi Mwaguya, Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, and UDA national secretary-general Karisa Nzai among other UDA aspirants in Mombasa.
Ali said they will access the Tononoka ground, “either by sea, air or land.”
“No one will stop us, we shall put our boots on the ground and sell our agenda to the people,” he said.
Last month, former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko was forced to cancel his planned rally at the same venue after he was informed that he failed to get clearance from the police.
This was during his meet-the-people tour of Mombasa accompanied by his Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka as he made a grand entrance in Mombasa to officially launch his bid to succeed Governor Hassan Joho.
At the same time, Omar took a swipe at his main opponent Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir, accusing him of being a project of a few individuals in the county.
“He calls himself the people’s project, we all know who these people are. He is a four-people project. He has been put there to protect their interests,” Omar said.
He said that the said individuals were the ones behind the transfer of port operations from Mombasa to Nairobi and Naivasha and were the biggest beneficiaries of the deal.
“We know they recently signed a deal to share the port, one will have control in Mombasa, another Kisumu, Lamu, Nairobi, and Naivasha,” said Omar.
Omar said the Kenya Kwanza government under the stewardship of DP Ruto and him at the county, will prioritize the restoration of port services in Mombasa and also establish a free market in Mombasa.
He said that the Ruto-led administration will fast-track the establishment of the Dongo Kundu Special Economic Zone as an alternative economic channel for the region.
Omar added that they had already outlined an elaborate plan to tap into the blue economy with a focus on value addition in the fishing industry, mining, and industrialization.
He further said that there was an immediate need to open the skies to allow more international flights to blossom in the struggling tourism industry in the region.
“The Mombasa airport needs to be open for transhipment cargo to complement the port. International air cargo business will be a good alternative for the county,” he said.