Mombasa governor hopeful Suleiman Shahbal and his running mate Ananiah Mwaboza celebrate with supporters at the Kenya School of Government after being cleared by the IEBC. [Photo: Suleiman Shahbal/ facebook.com]
The clearance of Jubilee’s Suleiman Shahbal to vie for Mombasa governor on Friday was marred by confusion.
Shahbal who was to appear before the poll body from 11am to 12pm got clearance three hours later as his running mate Ananiah Mwaboza came late.Amid the confusion, the Jubilee politician asked the IEBC returning officer to give them up to 4pm as Mwaboza was reportedly sick. With uncertainty continuing to cloud the process, Shahbal was to address the media but was stopped by Jubilee chairman in Mombasa Mohamed Chengo who said they needed to consult first.Mwaboza later showed up where alongside Shahbal, they addressed a rally at the Star of the Sea Primary School before heading to the Kenya School of Government for clearance.The political marriage between Shahbal and Mwaboza was brokered by Deputy President William Ruto. However, there seems to be deep-seated rivalry between the two Jubilee politicians which is now said to threaten their bid to wrestle the control of Mombasa from Governor Hassan Joho. In March, Mwaboza's supporters accused Shahbal of isolating them in the management of party affairs in the county. However, to quell the speculations that the two could be headed for a fallout, both Mwaboza and his boss downplayed the rumours.