Mike Sonko Threatens To Support Hassan Omar Of UDA As Next Mombasa Governor

Former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko has announced that if his running mate, Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo, is not permitted to run in the election, the UDA will support Hassan Omar in the campaign for Mombasa County Governor.

Sonko claims that he would rather support Omar than the ODM candidate Abdulswamad Nassir, whom he calls a “State project,” because Omar is not affiliated with the Wiper party, which is part of the wider Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance.

Sonko had chosen Mbogo specifically to be his running companion before getting his name pulled from the ballot.

“I was cleared alongside my Deputy Governor Ali Mbogo. The impeachment was for Sonko not for Mbogo. We are pleading with IEBC and the government to clear Ali Mbogo to vie as governor,” said Sonko in an interview on TV47 on Thursday.

“If they fail we are not going to support a puppet we will support Hassan Omar and UDA instead of supporting a puppet and a project.”
Sonko expressed his thoughts after the High Court decided to dismiss his plea, which he had filed to force the IEBC to add his name to the list of contenders for the top seat in Mombasa County the following month.

Sonko had filed the plea on the basis that he still had an open appeal case at the East Africa Court of Justice about his 2020 impeachment, but the three-judge High Court bench maintained a Supreme Court decision that determined his removal from office to be legal.

Before Sonko decided to submit his petition with the East Africa court, the IEBC withdrew his nomination certificate on the grounds that he had been wrongfully removed from office, effectively disqualifying him from seeking reelection.

If someone is found guilty of abuse of power or has broken Chapter Six of Kenyan law, they may not run for office, according to the IEBC.