This archive report was first published on 7 August 2019.
Published on August 7, 2019, a building in Mombasa's Tudor area, housing the Jubilee party office, has been put up for sale by its owners, sparking controversy and allegations of a plot to destabilize the party in the opposition stronghold.
The office, which was a key hub for the party's coordination activities during the last general elections, was retained by Farid Swaleh, the region's party coordinator, after the elections. He argued that it would be illogical for a ruling party to be without offices in a critical area like Mombasa.
However, the abrupt move by the owners to sell the building has caught officials by surprise, with some claiming that individuals seeking to wipe out Jubilee's influence in the port city are behind the move.
Local Jubilee officials interpret the timing as an attempt to scatter the party's support ahead of the expected referendum campaigns. In the last elections, Jubilee garnered over 100,000 presidential votes in Mombasa county.
Joseph Njoroge, a Jubilee official, alleged that the selling of the building was done behind the coordinator's back, despite an agreement to alert him in advance. He saw malice and political scheming in the whole matter.
Farid Swaleh, the region's party coordinator, has vowed not to surrender the party office unless instructed by President Uhuru Kenyatta. He has been a strong presence in Mombasa, distributing foodstuffs and other items on behalf of the President during the Ramadhan period.
