• This is the first time the career banker has declared interest in the seat after months of speculation.
• Says he is focusing on helping the county get through the coronavirus pandemic.
Mombasa politician Suleiman Shahbal on Tuesday confirmed he will be in the race to succeed Governor Hassan Joho in 2022.
This is the first time the career banker has declared interest in the seat after months of speculation.
“2022 is still far. But be sure I’m in the race. And with the help of God and the support of Mombasa people I will definitely be in the race,” Shahbal said.
He spoke at Sparki Primary School where he launched a website to help KCPE and KCSE candidates.
The website, www.shahbaleducation.com, has KCSE and KCPE exam past papers, which will be used as revision material.
Shahbal said he is focusing on helping the county get through the coronavirus pandemic and not politics.
“We are in 2020. The time for politics is not now. Mombasa has a governor, who is Hassan Ali Joho. Our duty is to participate and cooperate with him to deal with the serious problems that we have right now,” the politician said.
Shahbal vied for governor in 2013 and 2017 but lost to Joho both times.
However, his closeness with his former political nemesis has led to many speculating that he is preparing for a soft landing when campaigns start.
But Shahbal said there is no soft landing in politics and his closeness to Joho is because of Mombasa residents who need leadership that serves their interests.
He said this is not the time to campaign. “When the time comes, you will see a Tsunami,” Shahbal said.
“For now, let us focus on development and the issues that we have to live with.”
He defended his frequent visits to ODM leader Raila Odinga’s Capitol Hill office in Upper Hill, Nairobi, saying it was in the spirit of the handshake.
“I am in Jubilee. There is a handshake between Jubilee and ODM. So today we in Jubilee and ODM are friends,” Shahbal said.
He said he usually discusses issues of national importance with Raila, whom he has hosted in Mombasa at least twice in the last six months.
“Can you believe that in all our meetings, we have never discussed politics? That is the truth,” he said.
Edited by A.N