Supremacy battles have intensified in Jubilee Party in Coast region as campaigns for the October 17 repeat presidential election begin.
It has emerged that there was bitter rivalry between supporters of Mombasa governor candidate Suleiman Shahbal and Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala over who should head the party's campaigns in the region.
Party members allied to Mr Shahbal yesterday told Mr Balala to respect Shahbal and always consult him concerning the campaigns.
On Friday, a number of party member booed and heckled Shahbal at the Wild Waters Centre in Nyali, Mombasa, when Deputy President William Ruto announced a change of campaign strategy and named Balala to head the campaigns at the coast.
Tempers flared as Abdulsam Kassim complained of the party's dismal performance in the August 8 General Election.
Sources said some party members had complained to Balala earlier that the woes faced by the party in the county were as a result of Shahbal’s alleged poor leadership. They pointed to the party's failure to get even one county assembly seat.
Miserable performance
The sources had claimed that the party’s miserable performance in the elections was due to Shabhal’s lack of commitment.
But addressing a news conference at the Jubilee Party offices in Mombasa yesterday, county Jubilee chairman Matano Chengo and secretary Ali Mwatsahu condemned those blaming Shahbal for the party's performance, saying he (Shahbal) had worked hard for the 100,000 votes President Uhuru Kenyatta won in the county.
“We condemn those who heckled Shahbal at the DP's meeting on Friday. We have since established that this had been planned in town two days earlier to undermine Mr Shahbal, who sacrificed time and resources to campaign for the party,” said Mr Chengo.
He said party would take action against those involved in the Friday incident and urged party members to focus on the presidential election rather than supremacy wars.
Mr Mwatsahu said Balala should work with all players.
“The problem we have in this county is that some members have gone to the Nairobi party headquarters to stab Shahbal in the back. Those behind such an ill plan should stop,” he said.
Party officials insisted Shahbal had opened up a political space for Jubilee in Mombasa.
