Hassan Omar faults Hassan Joho call for joint Coast primaries

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar. (Photo: Kelvin Karani/Standard)

Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar has criticised a proposal to have joint nominations to pick the National Super Alliance (NASA) candidate for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat.

Buoyed by recent defections from ODM to Wiper, Omar said his Wiper party was strong enough to field candidates in all seats in the region. But Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho maintained there was need for NASA to fashion a common strategy to defeat Jubilee.

Joho said he was ready to face Omar and and Nyali MP Awiti Bolo in joint nominations to get a candidate who will face Jubilee’s Suleiman Shahbal.  

“I am ready for a joint NASA nomination to prove that I am popular in Mombasa,” said Joho on a telephone interview from abroad. The governor has been away on an overseas trip which included a visit to the US.

Friday, Omar said Wiper had lined candidates for all elective seats in Mombasa and the other five counties in the region.

“Wiper Party is now very strong and more organised unlike 2013 when it left everything to other parties in the coalition. We are now going to field candidates in all elective posts,” said Omar at a press briefing in Mombasa.

But Joho said he was not scared to square it out with his rival. “I promise you that I will defeat them hands down,” he said.

Omar’s declaration contradicts NASA committee member James Orengo’s announcement on Thursday that the alliance would hold joint primaries in Mombasa and Nairobi.

“We have completed the party’s line up in all elective post in the region,” said Omar.

Omar denied claims that ambassador Chirau Ali Mwakwere had defected from ODM to Wiper. He said Mwakwere was not an ODM member.

He assured those joining the party they would be subjected to a fair and transparent nomination.

The senator denied claims that Wiper leaders were targeting to poach ODM members, arguing the leaders had freedom to associate themselves with their party of choice.