Deputy President William Ruto. [Photo/The Informer]
The Jubilee Party is facing a headache in taming rebellions at the Coast, after Deputy President William Ruto named Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala to head the party’s campaigns in the region.
Supporters of Suleiman Shahbal, who unsuccessfully contested for Mombasa governor’s seat, opposed the naming of Balala as the area’s campaign chief.
Shahbal’s supporters on Sunday told the CS to respect the businessman.
During a Friday meeting, Shahbal was booed and heckled moments after DP Ruto made the announcement.
The Standard reports that some party members had complained to Balala earlier that the woes faced by the party in the county were as a result of Shahbal’s alleged poor leadership.
They pointed to the party's failure to get even one county assembly seat in the August 8 general election.
Jubilee chairman Matano Chengo and secretary Ali Mwatsahu has condemned those blaming Shahbal for the party's performance, saying he (Shahbal) had worked hard for the 100,000 votes President Uhuru Kenyatta won in the county.
“We condemn those who heckled Shahbal at the DP's meeting on Friday. We have since established that this had been planned in town two days earlier to undermine Mr Shahbal, who sacrificed time and resources to campaign for the party,” said Mr Chengo, as quoted by The Standard.