Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima at a past event. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
The race for the Likoni Parliamentary seat has taken a new twist as rebel ODM MP Masoud Mwahima begins to gain ground ahead of the August 8 polls.
Mwahima, who has been Likoni MP since 2008, ditched the Raila Odinga-led ODM party for Jubilee in 2016.Following his defection, Mwahima's popularity in the constituency diminished with many political pundits writing him off the Likoni MP race during the August 8 elections.However, the past few weeks have seen the lawmaker hit the ground running pitching for his re-election despite sustained onslaught from his rivals. The vigorous campaigns seem to be paying off as he is continuing to gain ground.Mishi Mboko, who is the ODM candidate for the seat, was initially seen as a pre-election favourite to wrestle the seat from Mwahima. However, the latest turn of events puts her candidature into jeopardy.Despite being a Jubilee candidate, Mwahima seems to be defying all the odds and may be on course to produce a shocker in the history ofMombasa politics considering how poorly the party performs in Mombasa County, which has been dancing to ODM tunes since 2007.Mboko, who is Governor Hassan Joho's ally, may be forced to change tact cracking the winning formula to deny Mwahima a third term in office.