COUNTY POLITICS: Rivalry in Wiper could hand Jubilee Mombasa governor seat

Nyali MP Hezron Awiti arrives at Maweni Secondary School to issue bursary cheques to students on March 14, 2017. He has defected from Wiper party. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Awiti said he was moving to Vibrant Democratic Party, but said there were still some consultations to be done.
  • He accused a clique of top leaders in the party including Mr Musyoka of plotting to kick him out of the race.
  • In the past, Mr Omar has defended Mr Kalonzo against accusations that he was not a serious presidential candidate in Nasa.

Nyali MP Hezron Awiti’s defection from Wiper Democratic Movement has brought a new twist in the Mombasa gubernatorial race as election nears.

Before leaving the Nasa affiliate party on Tuesday, the race for the top county seat was shaping up between ODM, Wiper and Jubilee Party.

While the incumbent Governor Hassan Joho appears unchallenged for the ODM ticket, the Jubilee Party has settled on businessman Suleiman Shahbal as its flagbearer while Mr Awiti was to battle it out with Wiper secretary general and Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar for its ticket.

Mr Awiti, who was Wiper’s national treasurer, and Mr Omar had vowed not to run together, rejecting efforts by party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to unite for a joint candidature.

The relationship between Mr Awiti and Mr Omar, who is seen as close to Mr Musyoka, worsened when the party aspirants and officials in Mombasa rallied behind the latter to vie for governorship.

Mr Omar had further dismissed calls for joint nominations for Nasa hopefuls in Mombasa insisting that Wiper will field its own candidates for various seats.

In the 2013 General Election, Mr Joho faced off with Mr Shahbal, who vied on a Wiper ticket, and won with a margin of about 30,000 votes.

Although Jubilee performed dismally in 2013, the party has been gaining prominence following Mr Shahbal’s entry and the huge interest President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have shown for the seat.

If Mr Awiti makes good his assertion that he would go all the way to the ballot, pundits say he could also eat into Mr Joho’s support and favour Mr Shahbal.

DIVISIONS IN NASA
Some have, however, dismissed Mr Awiti’s defection as “neither here nor there” and termed it as inconsequential.

But analysts have also argued that those who dismiss the abrasive politician’s stab at the Mombasa gubernatorial race and especially his defection from Wiper are doing so at their own risk.

His resignation as treasurer of the party that swept him to the Nyali seat after being frustrated by ODM in 2013 was a culmination of a protracted battle for control of the party’s gubernatorial ticket with Mr Omar.

The two, whom Mr Musyoka tried to reconcile with no success, now seem to be headed for the seat race on different parties.

According to analysts, if either Mr Awiti and Mr Omar had agreed to deputise the other, they would easily have captured the seat given the former’s strength in voter mobilisation and resources, and the latter’s appeal as one of the most qualified for the job due to his human rights record and constant fight against corruption.

Mr Awiti’s defection also puts to rest speculation in the recent past when he denied that he was about to defect.

He had consistently said he would not leave a party in which he had invested heavily in terms of resources and support.

According Geoffreyson Khamala, a political science lecturer at the University of Nairobi, Mr Awiti’s defection is a big blow to the National Super Alliance of which Wiper is a member, and is a testament of the deep rooted divisions in the alliance.

“Some people might dismiss the move as having little impact but that is not true. Mr Omar cannot now claim to control Wiper supporters because Mr Awiti will move with some of them. It complicates the chances for the party to clinch the seat,” he said.

“Mr Awiti is a mobiliser with immense resources. This is not a man to wish away easily. He could pull a surprise,” he said.

PLAN REJECTED
According to Mr Khamala, Mr Awiti further diminishes Mr Omar’s chances of winning the seat, considering that Mr Joho’s profile has been enhanced by his altercation with President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Omar now finds himself in a fix since he cannot use the occasion to attack Joho because if he does he will be viewed as the enemy of the Mombasa residents who see their governor as being oppressed by the Jubilee government,” he said.

While speculation has been rife that Mr Awiti was headed to Kadu Asili or Charity Ngilu’s Narc, the politician said he would join a new party.

Yesterday, Mr Awiti said he was moving to Vibrant Democratic Party, but said there were still some “consultations” to be done.

But it is not lost on Wiper party supporters that two weeks ago, Mr Awiti tried to push for nominations that would have seen about 600 delegates elect the party’s flag-bearer.

The move was resisted by some party members and Mr Omar, who said that there was no way the winner would be decided by just 600 delegates out of the over 50,000 members in Mombasa County.

“The problem is that there is no proper criteria for choosing the delegates. We carried out a registration drive and these members should be allowed to exercise their rights and choose their preferred candidate,” Mr Omar said.

But Mr Awiti accused a clique of top leaders in the party including Mr Musyoka of plotting to kick him out of the race.

Mr Peterson Mitau, an aspirant for the Changamwe constituency seat on a Wiper ticket, said Mr Awiti had tried to control the results of the nomination by calling the delegates who resisted.

“Mr Awiti’s defection is not a surprise because we actually knew that he was not with us and have only been waiting for his resignation. He left the party a long time ago and I don’t think the move will have any impact if any at all,” Mr Mitau said.

He claimed that the delegates, who were to be drawn from the six constituencies with each producing 100, had been handpicked by Mr Awiti himself and given money to sway the vote.

GREAT CHALLENGER
Mr Awiti, however, denied the accusation, saying there was no way he was going to bribe people who were going to be chosen by the party.

“The delegates were to be selected through a process even Mr Kalonzo himself was privy to. How could I bribe delegates I did not know,” he posed.

Mr Mitau said contrary to Mr Awiti’s assertion that members of the Kamba and Mijikenda communities were with him, they were solidly behind Mr Omar.

Mr Awiti has been vocal in his claim that he had entered into a pact with the Mijikenda community by promising to share positions on a 50/50 basis when he wins the seat, and leave it to them in 2022. 

According to Mr Khamala, Mr Awiti’s move also opens a window for Mr Shahbal.

“Jubilee also stands to benefit from Mr Awiti’s defection because Nasa will go to the polls a divided house,” he said.

He also discounted Mr Mitau’s assertion that Mr Omar’s vote was intact, saying the Senator might actually lose badly.

“Given that in 2013 Shahbal came second meaning that he is a force to reckon with, Mr Omar and Mr Awiti should have remained united if they wanted to win the seat,” he said.

He, however, notes that since Mr Omar is a strong defender of Mr Musyoka, supporters might back him.

In the past, Mr Omar has defended Mr Kalonzo against accusations that he was not a serious presidential candidate in Nasa, and has on several occasions vouched for his boss to take on the big seat.