- On Saturday, Shahbal said Joho is the toughest politician in Mombasa and he twice gave him a run for his money in 2013 and 2017.
- In Jomvu, Nassir said loyalty is the most important virtue in politics. The attack targeted Shahbal, whom he branded a party hopper.
Image: BRIAN OTIENO
Businessman Suleiman Shahbal has said he does not fear any competitor in the race to succeed Governor Hassan Joho.
Shahbal is fighting it out with Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir and deputy governor William Kingi for the ODM ticket to vie for the county’s top seat.
Others in the race for Joho’s seat include Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo and former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar.
The hopefuls have upped their campaigns as they sell their agendas to the Mombasa electorate.
On Saturday, Shahbal said Joho is the toughest politician in Mombasa and he twice gave him a run for his money in 2013 and 2017.
“If I competed with Joho and we went neck-to-neck, who are these others? Let them come,” Shahbal said in Old Town.
In Jomvu, Nassir, who accompanied Joho at a title deed issuance function on Saturday, said loyalty is the most important virtue in politics. The attack targeted Shahbal, whom he branded a party hopper.
Nassir has been banking on his loyalty to the Orange party and party leader Raila Odinga to win over the Mombasa residents.
The county is largely an ODM zone although Jubilee had made significant inroads before the start of its collapse, UDA has since taken over as the major threat to ODM.
“If you are not loyal, you cannot be trusted to manage county resources,” Nassir said.
He said he has been helping Mombasa residents, fighting for them especially when the national government introduced punitive directives forcing cargo hauliers to use the SGR.
“We are responsible for the improvement of salaries and working conditions of KPA workers,” Nassir said.
Nassir and Dock Workers Union teamed up to petition Parliament to compel the Salaries Remuneration Commission to sanction the Collective Bargaining Agreement for the year 2021-2022, which the National Assembly has done.
“I will ensure all punitive state directives against Mombasa are reversed so we can save our economy and get our businesses back up,” he said.
Deputy governor Kingi says he will focus more on education, health and small and medium enterprises should he become the second Mombasa governor.
Kingi, who has been using his wife Ruth Kache Baya to sell his agenda, says 60 per cent of school going children in Mombasa drop out before even getting to Class 8.
“This is caused by mostly lack of school fees, although other issues such as drug abuse and peer pressure contribute to the sorry state of affairs,” Kache said in Changamwe on Saturday.
Kingi will strengthen the education sector which will see all learners transition to secondary school whether they can afford it or not.
“There are provisions to take all learners to school and these provisions will be strengthened under the Kingi administration.
“It is just a matter of actualising these provisions and making them a reality,” she said.
Shahbal says his economic policies will better serve residents.
For instance, he says he will ensure each of the 30 wards in Mombasa gets Sh50 million for development should he clinch the Mombasa governor seat.
“I will seek permission from the county assembly to have this money set aside for all wards. Then committees made up of youth, women and persons with disabilities will be formed to manage these funds. It is time to change,” Shabhal said.
Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo said he will tailor-make small tenders worth Sh5 million or less for youth, women and person with disabilities.
This, he says, will earn thousands of youth money.
“We will also reduce the fees for licenses so as to encourage many youth, women and PWDs to open up businesses and trade with the county government,” Mbogo said.
He says he will set aside Sh1 billion each year for a revolving fund that will be issuing affordable loans for youth and women groups.
Land, as a factor of production, he says, is the most emotive issue in Mombasa and he will help reduce the squatter problem by buying off land from the wealthy owners and redistributing them to residents.
“Just like it was done in the Waitiki farm in Likoni, we will be setting aside Sh1 billion each year to buy land for the squatters and issue them with title deeds,” Mbogo said on phone.
He says in the health sector, he will ensure three more Level 5 hospitals are built in Changamwe, Likoni and Kisauni.
He further promised to pay NHIF yearly for all those who cannot afford it.
“This is already in place in Kisauni where we have been paying NHIF for 1,500 people yearly. We will only expand it,” Mbogo said.
Former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar says he will borrow heavily from the bottom-up economic model to ensure that small scale enterprises are uplifted in Mombasa.
Being in Deputy President William Ruto’s camp, Omar says his administration will prioritise the SMEs and give them a suitable business environment for them to thrive.
SMEs make up almost half of the business sector in Mombasa although their contribution to the economy is usually underestimated.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
Image: BRIAN OTIENO