President Uhuru Kenyatta has affirmed that he will not endorse anyone for the Mombasa governor's seat.
This comes after bitter rivalry and power struggles were witnessed during the election of Jubilee officials in the county.
Speaking during a meeting at State House, Mombasa last week, Uhuru said governor hopefuls in the county should not expect any endorsements.
The president told businessman Suleiman Shahbal and former Kisauni MP Ananiah Mwaboza who had attended the meeting, to battle it out for the Jubilee ticket.
The move is said to have been necessitated by the President's need to avoid clashing with his deputy William Ruto.
According to The Star, Shahbal is seen as Uhuru's favourite candidate while Ruto is said to be rooting for Mwaboza - his legal advisor.
“I’m happy with the way the President handled the matter. We will go the democratic way unless we come to some kind of agreement,” said Mwaboza after the meeting, as quoted by the daily.