Mombasa Deputy Governor Hazel Katana at a past event. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
The race for the Mombasa senator seat has taken a new twist after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cleared Mombasa Deputy Governor Hazel Katana to run on a Jubilee Party ticket.
Katana had disputed the Jubilee Party nominations results after losing to her rival Abdulsalam Kassim.However, on June 8, IEBC’s dispute resolution committee chaired by Wafula Chebukati directed that Kassim’s Jubilee Party ticket be nullified, The Star reports."The committer here orders, based on facts, that Abdulsalam Kassim was not validly nominated by the Jubilee Party. His nomination is hereby declared invalid and nomination revoked forthwith,” read part of the ruling.Last week, Kassim’s supporters took to the streets to protest against the decision by the party to revoke his nomination certificate which was later handed to Katana.They threatened to support candidates from rival parties should the party fail to address their grievances.On her part, Katana rubbished claims of favouritism by top party officials, saying she fought for the ticket.“I will now focus on my campaign to ensure I clinch this seat. I had to follow the long route so that people would not accuse Jubilee of favouring me. I have fought for this nominations ticket,” she said. She urged Kassim to support her to ensure they deliver the seat to Jubilee.