Disgruntled UDA members in Mombasa have raised concerns over the party’s vice chairman Hassan Omar’s dalliance with ODM’s Hassan Joho.
Omar has recently been publicly supporting Joho in his bid to become the ODM party leader should incumbent Raila Odinga move to Addis Ababa to become the African Union Commission chairman.
The EALA MP has been saying political differences between him and Joho have never been personal and they are working together for the good of Coast residents.
Political analysts say the former Mombasa senator is creating a political network for himself to win over residents, especially the youth, who admire Joho, thus winning over the former governor plays a vital role in winning over the youth.
This has miffed some UDA members, mostly allied to Nyali MP Mohammed Ali, who on Thursday questioned Omar’s move terming it "not helpful to the UDA party".
The disgruntled party members, led by Mombasa coordinator Samir Omar, denied claims party members support Joho’s ODM bid.
“At an Iftar dinner this week, he said UDA members have come together to support a rival party. That is not true. That is his personal opinion and personal move,” Samir told journalists.
He accused Omar of escaping his leadership role and failing to unite UDA while supporting a rival party.
“How can you work with a rival party yet the party that sponsored you and which you are a high-ranking official has problems, which you have not solved yet?” Samir posed.
Omar has been championing for coastal unity, saying all leaders in the region should unite for the benefit of residents.
He has been extending olive branches to all leaders in the region regardless of party affiliation.
On Tuesday, he was among guests at Joho’s residence in Nyali where he hosted leaders for an Iftar dinner.
He also attended Gender CS Aisha Jumwa’s Iftar dinner at her Nairobi residence on Wednesday where leaders from the Coast, regardless of party affiliation, attended.
On Thursday, Samir said the coastal unity that Omar is championing is ‘haram’. He said it is a selfish bid by the leaders meant to benefit their own selfish interests and not those of residents.
“We are not heading to any election any time soon. This unity is a selfish bid by the leaders to apportion themselves positions of power," Samir said.
“What we want is development like it is happening in other regions. The government has come up with the idea of Special Economic Zones. We should make it work for residents instead of angling for business there.”
Mildred Odinga, a UDA coordinator in Mombasa, said it is foolhardy for anyone to rush to build a neighbour's house yet their own house is falling apart.
He said Omar’s political moves are selfish and not for the interest of the UDA party or its members.
“He is fighting for unity with people who have been in leadership for 10 years without any benefit to Mombasa residents. How can they be of benefit now that they are not in power?” Odinga posed.
She said it is time President William Ruto starts seeing leaders for who they actually are and not for the image they portray.
Odinga said UDA in Mombasa has three factions, which should be united but Omar is busy uniting opposition leaders.
“He has lost his way. If he is a true leader, he should first unite people in his own house before uniting others from other houses,” she said.
Former Tononoka councillor Abdalla Miraj said Mombasa and Coast leaders have no shares in ODM and should start rethinking their value to residents.
Miraj said time has come for Coast leaders to wake up and fight for the people of Mombasa and not their own selfish interests.
Likoni politician Hamisi Domoko said the efforts of the party members in turning Mombasa yellow and green from Orange are being nullified by Omar’s political moves.
He said Mombasa has slowly been shifting from ODM to UDA but Omar will negate this by his support for Joho and ODM.
“We fear that all our efforts will have gone to waste and we will start from scratch yet again,” he said.
