Sonko Attacked At Raila Rally After Disruption.
After former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko arrived, Raila Odinga’s Azimio rally at Mkomani in Mombasa was briefly disrupted.
Sonko’s vehicles arrived at the rally’s Mkomani venue around 3.30pm.
While different aspirants introduced themselves, two of his vehicles attempted to make their way to the opposite side of the crowded venue.
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho had to stop the introductions several times to tell the drivers not to move the vehicles.
“Juma, don’t move the vehicles. Park them where they are. Where are you going?” Joho kept on asking.
As former Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba, who wants to reclaim his old seat, stood to speak, the crowd began chanting Sonko’s name after noticing the occupants of one of the vehicles.
Joho attempted to calm the crowd, but the noise levels continued to rise as Sonko’s vehicle advanced through the crowd.
After stones were seen flying amongst the crowd, the police were forced to intervene, firing into the air to disperse a section of the crowd that was becoming increasingly unruly.
As the crowd dispersed, Sonko’s vehicles turned.
While most Mombasa politicians attempted to ignore the incident in their speeches, Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu grabbed the bull by the horns and condemned Sonko for his actions.
Without naming him, Ngilu stated that only an insane person could do such a thing.
“Who can drive a vehicle through a crowd like that? How? Unless you are a mad person, you cannot do that,” she said.
“Shame on you. I don’t know who it is, but shame on them!”
The Kitui governor stated that the Mombasa gubernatorial candidate was wrong to allow his convoy to pass through the crowd.
Hassan Ali Joho, the governor of Mombasa, also spoke out against Sonko, accusing him of planning to disrupt the rally.
Joho also chastised Sonko for criticizing him for allowing the national government to relocate some operations from Mombasa’s port to the Naivasha inland port.
Sonko’s entry into the race has caused concern, with recent popularity polls putting him in second place with 28% affinity, 14 percentage points behind Abdulswamad’s 42%.
The former Nairobi governor is also the most recent candidate to enter the race.
Notably, the former Nairobi county boss’s eligibility to run in the August election remains in doubt, with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s (IEBC) Abdi Guliye stating that the Commission would be deliberating on the matter and providing a way forward.
However, the electoral body stated that it cannot bar anyone from running in the August elections, citing a 2013 High Court ruling that allowed Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto to run for office despite being charged with crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The sibling rivalry between Wiper and ODM threatens to undo Azimio’s gains in the coast region.
