Nyali MP Mohamed Ali displaying his certificate after clinching the MP seat in the August 8 election. [Photo: Mohamed Ali/ facebook.com]
The outcome of the August 8 poll across various elective positions in Mombasa County has been contested in court.With a petition challenging the election of Mombasa Women Representative Asha Hussein Mohammed already dismissed, one key member of the ODM Party in Mombasa is off the hook.However, the petitions challenging the election of Kisauni and Nyali MPs may prove to be a game-changer in Mombasa politics.In Kisauni, the hinterland of Mombasa politics, newcomer Ali Mbogo of Wiper sent home ODM's Rashid Bedzimba, a key ally of Governor Hassan Joho.The Kisauni MP seat was one of the most hotly contested in Mombasa and with a one-term cycle defining the constituency politics, Bedzimba stood no chance against Mbogo.Keen to avoid spending the next five years in the political cold, Bedzimba challenged Mbogo’s win and should the court rule in his favour, he will be given a second chance at the ballot.The former Mjambere Ward Councilor has been one of Joho’s key pillars in his political career and his victory in court will no doubt be good news for the ODM deputy party leader.Elsewhere, in Nyali Constituency, Mohamed Ali’s and Said Abdalla alias Saido’s rivalry has been renewed in court.Mohamed Ali defied all the odds to clinch the seat as an independent candidate after seeing off stiff competition from Saido, who is Joho’s cousin.However, Saido has challenged the former KTN journalist’s win in Court.With Mohamed Ali already having fallen out with a majority of the voters over his alleged associations with Jubilee, a decision by the High Court to nullify his win will not be good news for him as he will have a mountain to climb to recapture the seat.Among the six constituencies in the county, Kisauni and Nyali are the only two which were not won by ODM candidates.