MOMBASA: Mombasa United Democratic Alliance (UDA) members have come out in support of the Party’s Vice Chair Hassan Omar Sarai move to support former Governor Hassan Ali Joho in his bid to be the next ODM party leader.
Speaking just days after disgruntled UDA members in the county, led by Mombasa Coordinator Samir Omar, raised concerns over Sarai’s support for the former Mombasa Governor, Mombasa UDA members (coordinators, directors, 2022 General Elections candidates, and bonafide members) condemned what they termed as lies by the Mohamed Ali allied faction.
The members say Sarai’s support for Joho was good for the region and following the footsteps of President William Ruto working with opposition leader Raila Amollo Odinga.
They say Samir is against the unity of leaders from the Coastal region being championed by the UDA Vice Chair.
“As a party, we hereby express our firm stance against such behaviors and emphasize on the importance of respectful discourse within the party. The former coordinator who ran away from the party before the 2022 general elections lied to the public that the Vice Chair of the ruling coalition Hon. Hassan Omar Hassan Sarai has no blessings from the coordinators, we are here to inform that the decision taken by the Hon. Sarai is a collective decision with blessings from all of us who are within the party,” said Coast Development Authority Board Director Mgandi Kalinga.
They claimed the Mohamed Ali faction was operating from a position of bitterness, labeling the Mombasa Coordinator a stooge being used to spread propaganda against former Mombasa Senator and UDA gubernatorial candidate Hassan Omar.
“Our commitment to democratic process and fair competition is way above individual desire and vision, we know the theatrics of the other side and I assure you our commitment as a party will follow instructions from the UDA Vice Chair Hassan Omar Hassan,” said Kalinga.
Sarai has been supporting Joho’s bid to be the next ODM Party leader saying that their political differences were not personal and that they were working together for the good of coast residents.
However, the Nyali Member of Parliament allied faction claims Sarai’s move was not useful to the party and that Mombasa coordinators were not in support.
“It is very disappointing that someone claiming to be a coast resident is against the unification of the coast region,” lamented Mvita sub-county UDA Coordinator Mohamed Juma.
“This guy ran away from the party six months to the elections because he had come with an agenda in UDA, to make sure Hassan Omar Sarai does not perform, to make sure the President does not perform. He came back when we had restructured ourselves and hit the ground running again without him. Now he is the same person who wants to break the party,” said UDA Mombasa Chair Mutungwa Wambua.
They lauded Sarai’s efforts in unifying Mombasa UDA coordinators, supporters, and candidates in the 2022 general elections by organizing them in groups and giving them seed capital to start businesses,
“Samir said that Hassan Omar does not care about the coordinators, those are lies. In the history of Kenyan politics and even UDA politics, Hassan Omar is the first and only leader who brought together coordinators, divided them into groups of 10-15, and gave them seed capital to the tune of millions. This has never happened in any other county,” said Mvita sub-county UDA Coordinator.
They called on Coast leaders’ unity for the benefit of coast residents.
“The unity of the coast region will give us power and a voice in the national government which will lead to the development of the region,” said Sheikh Abu Qatada.
