This archive report was first published on 26 August 2021.
August 26, 2021 - The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, associated with Deputy President William Ruto, is facing a potential massive defection in Mombasa if the feud between former Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar and other party aspirants is not resolved.
Some budding politicians eyeing elective positions in the 2022 elections through UDA are accusing Omar of importing his loyalists from the Wiper Democratic Movement, where he previously served as secretary general, to undermine UDA loyalists.
Omar, who is vying for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat, has allegedly hijacked the UDA party in Mombasa, sidelining politicians who have stood with DP Ruto even before he was poached from Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper party.
One of the aspirants, Ali Mwatsahu, who is eyeing the Mvita parliamentary seat, has accused Omar of handpicking and planting aspirants for various elective positions in Mombasa County without consulting party leadership.
Mwatsahu emphasized that UDA is for hustlers, not elites like Omar who are masquerading and doing little to popularize DP Ruto's candidature at the grassroots level.
The wrangles are intensifying just a week after a section of UDA luminaries opposed to Omar met Baringo Senator Gideon Moi at a Mombasa hotel and vowed to shift their allegiance to KANU if Ruto does not move to tame Omar's alleged despotic behavior.
Omar, however, remains unperturbed by the negative developments and continues to meet his preferred aspirants as the country moves closer to the 2022 general elections.
