It has been a week of defections and endorsements between the two leading contenders in the Mombasa governor race; Abdulswamad Nassir (ODM) and Hassan Omar (UDA).
This is as the extended campaigns come to a close Friday night.
The two will lock horns in the elections slated for Monday 29 to succeed Governor Hassan Joho.
Last Monday, IEBC announced that the Mombasa and Kakamega gubernatorial elections will be held next week.
Omar and Nassir hit the ground running and they have both so far received major endorsements from different communities in Mombasa during the four-day campaign period.
Outgoing Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu, on Thursday, led a delegation of Kamba communities living in Changamwe and Jomvu to endorse Nassir.
Ngilu urged her community to support Nassir saying that he was the best person to lead the county.
“Politics is about good leadership and leading your people the right way, a vote for Nassir is a vote for prosperity,” Ngilu said.
She asked Nassir to consider the community for executive positions in the county and to help them expand their curving industry at the Akamba Handicraft in Changamwe.
“We want an empowerment fund to boost our Uchongaji Sacco to take our carvings to the next level. We need modern kiosks and shades, I know you will deliver this and much more,” Ngilu said.
She said they will be in Mombasa from Saturday together with Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka campaigning for Nassir and ensuring that he wins the Monday elections.
“We will visit each polling station to ensure that our votes are protected,” she said.
Nassir said that reviving the Mombasa economy will be his priority to ensure that business comes back, especially after the adverse effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He promised to lower licensing fees and push for the establishment of a special economic zone and industrial parks in Mombasa to boost trade and commerce.
“I will dedicate several days each year for public forums like this to discuss the challenges you face and propose possible solutions and the best way to implement them,” Nassir said.
He took a swipe at his competitors who he said were only best at hurling insults at him every time but had no proven track record to prove to the wananchi.
“The county has pending bills amounting to Sh4.9 billion. These bills were accrued since 2013,” he said,
“I don’t engage in politics of insults, my focus is to solve the problems facing our county.”
Nassir was also endorsed by the Gema community living in Mombasa who vowed to heed to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s call to support his bid.
The President, while opening the Sh4.5 billion Makupa Bridge last month, endorsed Nassir to succeed Joho.
ODM leader Raila Odinga and his presidential running mate Martha Karua also pitched camp in Mombasa on Wednesday to campaign for Nassir.
Raila led a delegation of the Luo community to also endorse Nassir for the post.
Omar on the other hand also took time convincing several communities to endorse his candidature.
On Thursday, accompanied by Deputy President-elect Rigathi Gachagua, Omar was also endorsed by a section of the Gema community living in Mombasa.
This was after Gachagua held a three-hour consultative engagement with over 3,000 Mombasa business and opinion leaders over the gubernatorial elections.
“I have taken time to expound on our manifesto and the bottom-up economic model that can only be well implemented by our UDA candidate,” Gachagua said.
“Our fruitful evening engagement has culminated in a consensus that the people of Mombasa will be safe in the hands of Hassan Omar as their next Governor.”
The Asian community also backed Omar after an engagement with them at the Patal Samaj grounds in Mvita.
He promised to create a conducive business environment.
“Anybody who was forced to cede equity in their companies, I promise you it shall be returned to you. It is not a personal vendetta, but we have to straighten things in Mombasa,” Omar said.
He had also been endorsed by the Kamba community who asked to be equally represented in the county administration.
On Wednesday evening, South Mugirango MP Sylvanus Osoro also led a delegation of the Kisii community in endorsing Omar.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
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