Hassan dares Joho in governor race

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, Wiper Party chief Kalonzo Musyoka and other leaders at Consolata Catholic Church in Likoni on February 21, 2016. PHOTO | DENNIS KAVISU | NATION MEDIA GROUP.

What you need to know:

  • Mr Omar says there will be no consensus or direct nomination within the coalition for the seat.
  • Mr Omar criticised Governor Joho for saying the national government was corrupt “while his house is riddled with the same vice”.

  • Kalonzo accuses Uhuru of pretending to be Father Christmas.

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar has declared that he will fight it out with Governor Hassan Joho for the Cord ticket in the next election.

Last Sunday, Mr Omar said there would be no consensus or direct nomination in the coalition for the seat.

“All of us want Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula in State House. We all want to remove President Kenyatta but we cannot keep quiet when some governors are not transparent,” he said during a voter registration campaign at Caltex Grounds, Likoni.

Cord comprises the Odinga-led ODM to which Governor Joho belongs, Wiper Democratic Movement, whose leader is Mr Musyoka and is also Mr Omar’s party and Ford-Kenya, which is led by Mr Wetang’ula.

Mr Omar criticised Governor Joho for saying the national government was corrupt “while his house is riddled with the same vice”.

The senator said Mr Joho’s leadership had created a lot of divisions and discord in Mombasa.

“If you are in a position to tell Uhuru Kenyatta when he goofs, then you must be in a position to tell your own brother here in Mombasa when he messes,” he told Mr Musyoka.

He said for Cord to increase its membership, it must be ready to address poor leadership in Mombasa.

According to the senator, the Mombasa County Assembly had become Mr Joho’s rubber stamp.

Wiper National Treasurer and Nyali MP Hezron Awiti asked the senator to investigate tendering in Mombasa, saying it favoured well-connected individuals.

He said the county assembly  passed laws that gave the devolved government powers to destroy small-scale businesses.

“If Joho is crying foul over the closure of his firms, why is he allowing laws that give him powers to interfere with other people’s businesses?” he asked.

He said Mombasa was a Cord bastion but added that there were many leadership wrangles based on personal ideologies.

“Our quarrels are in-house matters. Outsiders should not interfere with our internal affairs,” the Nyali lawmaker said.

He also intends to oppose Governor Joho in 2017.

FATHER CHRISTMAS

In the same rally, Mr Musyoka said that through ‘Okoa Kenya’ drive, the coalition would pay land rates for Waitiki Farm beneficiaries.

He called on the youths to register as voters so that Wiper and its Cord affiliates “can remove Jubilee from power”.

Mr Musyoka said Mr Kenyatta was “pretending to be Father Christmas” by dishing out title deeds, saying ‘Okoa Kenya’ proposes that powers on land matters in the National Land Commission.

He said young people joining groups like Mombasa Republican Council should be heard before being arrested.

Mr Musyoka said Jubilee would lose the Kericho senatorial and Malindi parliamentary by-elections on March 7.