East African Legislative Assembly MP Suleiman Shahbal has maintained that he will contest the Mombasa governor’s seat in 2027 despite President William Ruto advising him to stay out of elective politics.
Shahbal said he respects Ruto as President, Commander-in-Chief and a friend but disagrees with the President’s position on his political ambitions.
“I have a lot of respect for William Ruto. He’s the President of the Republic of Kenya, Commander-in-Chief. He’s a friend of mine,” Shahbal said during an interview on NTV’s Fixing the Nation on Monday.
He said disagreements were possible even between people with close relationships, adding that Ruto’s advice would not change his decision to seek the Mombasa governorship.
“But, you know, sometimes even with your father you disagree. He gives you advice, you disagree,” Shahbal said.
Shahbal said he was more concerned about the message sent when capable people were encouraged to remain outside politics.
“So basically, you’re telling us, leave politics to those who are not really capable. We’re not going to leave Mombasa to dunderheads. I’m sorry. We will not,” he said.
He insisted that his position was not an attack on Ruto but a respectful disagreement with the President.
“So this is not like I’m attacking the President. I’m disagreeing with the President respectfully,” Shahbal said.
His remarks come days after Ruto publicly asked him to reconsider his Mombasa gubernatorial ambitions and concentrate on business and investment.
Ruto made the remarks at State House on September 8 during the signing of a Sh12 billion agreement involving Shahbal’s GulfCap Group and DP World for the development of the Mombasa Special Economic Zone in Jomvu.
The President praised Shahbal’s entrepreneurial abilities and argued that Kenya needed more investors and industrialists. He said Shahbal could make a bigger contribution through investment, job creation and industrialisation than by joining elective politics.
Shahbal rejected the appeal the following day, saying he would remain in the race unless Mombasa residents themselves rejected his candidature.
He later announced that he was leaving ODM, saying he did not expect to receive the party’s ticket and said he was preparing a new political vehicle for the 2027 contest.
On Monday, Shahbal said competent people should be encouraged to enter politics rather than being discouraged from seeking elective office.
He cited what he described as the consequences of appointing people based mainly on their political connections rather than competence.
“Look at the first Cabinet that the President came with, brought in some really incompetent people who are politically right. And look at the mess they put him in,” he said.
Shahbal said he wanted to encourage young people in Mombasa to enter politics and claimed he would help them build political structures and find resources to contest elections.
“It is time for competent young people to come in,” he said.
Shahbal also defended his decision to seek the Mombasa governorship after stepping aside in 2022 in favour of Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.
He said he withdrew from the 2022 race after pressure from then President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga, who asked him to prioritise the national political agenda.
Shahbal said Raila had offered him a Cabinet position dealing with industrialisation, manufacturing and investment but he remained interested in addressing Mombasa’s challenges.
He said he eventually agreed to step aside after considering the national political circumstances at the time.
Shahbal now says he would have handled the situation differently in hindsight.
“In retrospect, and you know, hindsight is always 20-20, in retrospect, I should have adamantly said, no, Baba, I’m sorry,” he said.
Shahbal said Raila later apologised to him in Addis Ababa and told him he believed he had made a mistake.
The businessman is now seeking to make a second attempt at the Mombasa governorship, setting up a fresh contest as he seeks to challenge the political establishment in the county.
The 2027 race is already shaping up as a competitive contest, with incumbent Abdulswamad Nassir facing interest from several political figures, including UDA secretary general Hassan Omar.
