Divisions rock ODM in Mombasa Ahead Of 2027 Gubernatorial Race
By Shadrack Nyakoe
Cracks have emerged in Mombasa’s ODM camp, which has split into two factions justling for the gubernatorial seat.
One faction is led by Governor Abdulswamad Nassir who is also the Deputy Party Leader while the other is led by Mombasa Woman Representative Zamzam Mohamed.
The two leaders are at loggerheads with their allies joining the fray but from a distance.
Governor Nassir’s faction has MPs Badi Twalib (Jomvu), Mishi Mboko (Likoni) and Mohamed Machele (Mvita), and most of the five MCAs from Likoni constituency.
Zamzam has MPs Omar Mwinyi (Changamwe) and Rashid Bedzimba (Kisauni), Senator Mohamed Faki, County Assembly Speaker Aharub Khatri, and majority of the MCAs in the county assembly.
The widening rift is threatening to destroy the party from within with the 2027 governor race already a major factor in the alliances.
The two camps have been in a silent political war for quite some time but now sleeves have openly been rolled and the gloves are off.
Sources close to the two camps say trouble between the two faction leaders started over a year ago when Nassir was seen to be close to UDA nominated senator Miraj Abdillahi, who had by then shown signs of eying Zamzam’s seat.
“He used to invite Abdillahi to most of his functions and the woman rep felt it was disrespectful because she felt she should be the one invited first because she is in ODM and second because she overlooks the whole county too,” a source told Touchline News on Tuesday.
Zamzam, according to the source, then accused Nassir of being jealous of her because she was doing more with only Sh40 million of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund than the governor was doing with the more than Sh10 billion the county was getting from the exchequer.
To get back at Nassir, Zamzam at one time last year said she supports Nyali MP Mohamed Ali’s bid for the governor position.
It is to be noted that Ali has never openly and publicly declared interest in vying for governor in 2027 but his actions and political moves speak a lot.
Zamzam has often accused Nassir of sending goons to her functions to heckle her and disrupt his speeches.
Her functions are always attended by MPs Mwinyi and Bedzimba, Speaker Khatri and a host of MCAs, who have always attacked the governor.
Khatri, who has intensified his food drive in Mombasa, has been distributing food in a move that signals he could be interested in the governor position.
Although he, like Ali, has never publicly declared he is interested in Nassir’s seat, speculation is widespread he is eying the seat.
“I have never declared interest in the governor seat. But people are already shitting on themselves. I don’t want the seat. I only want to serve Mombasa residents in my capacity as the Speaker,” he said in Jomvu on Sunday during his latest food drive.
Khatri has been insistent that the county assembly has set aside Sh200 million for a revolving fund meant to help youth, women and persons living with disability get loans to start or expand their businesses, but the executive are slow or unwilling to implement the same.
This is a dig at Nassir.
However, Nassir camps have always accused Zamzam of playing dirty tribal politics for her own selfish gain.
Nassir has tried to avoid publicly attacking Zamzam but on some instances he has failed to check himself from attacking her.
During the launch of Social Health Authority mass registration at Lohana Hall on January 6, Nassir indirectly hit out at Zamzam accusing her of introducing tribal politics in Mombasa.
“In Mombasa, there are all communities. In my administration, all communities are represented. So don’t try to bring tribal politics in Mombasa,” he said.
This is after Zamzam accused him of only employing staff from one ethnic community and discriminating against others.
Nassir has also recently been seen to be mentoring political activist Amina Abdalla, who is eying Zamzam’s seat, further widening the rift between him and Zamzam.
Attempts have been made to have the two kiss and make up, but to little avail so far.
During the ODM delegates meeting in Mombasa last year, presided over by party leader Raila Odinga, Zamzam, who had at first been denied a chance to speak, let slip that one of the tycoons in Mombasa had even sat the two down for a truce.
“I have no problem with my governor. I am a small person and cannot compete with him. I even respect my elder brother for trying to talk to us in a meeting that he called us,” Zamzam said at the time.
Zamzam has even been using a moniker coined by UDA secretary general Hassan Omar to refer to Nassir.
Omar nicknamed Nassir OTG, which stands for One Term Governor, seemingly saying Nassir will not get a second term as Mombasa governor and he will beat him in the 2027 governor race.
Could this widening rift cause a political shift with UDA seemingly ready to pounce on the opportunity to popularize itself in Mombasa even further?
