EALA MP Suleiman Shahbal says he will not leave Mombasa’s leadership to incompetent politicians despite President William Ruto’s advice to stay out of politics and focus on business.
Speaking on NTV on Monday, Shahbal said he respected Ruto as President and a friend but disagreed with his advice, arguing that competent people should be encouraged to enter politics and public service.
“He's the president of the Republic of Kenya, commander in chief. He's a friend of mine, but you know, sometimes even with your father, you disagree,” he said.
He said the message that successful people should remain outside politics risked discouraging capable Kenyans from seeking leadership.
“We are not going to leave Mombasa to dunderheads. I'm sorry, we will not,” he said.
Shahbal said he intended to encourage young people in Mombasa to join politics and help them build political structures, dismissing concerns over money and organisational capacity.
“It is time for competent young people to come in,” he said. “We have the structures.We must encourage young, competent people to come into politics.”
He said politics had become unattractive to many young people because of its reputation for being dirty.
“Politics is dirty. It's dirty because you allow dirty people to dominate politics,” Shahbal said.
The EALA legislator also defended his decision to step aside from the 2022 Mombasa governor race in favour of Abdulsamad Nassir, saying the decision was made in the interest of supporting Raila Odinga's presidential bid.
Shahbal said Odinga had asked him to join him at the national level and offered him a Cabinet position in charge of industrialisation, manufacturing and investment.
“My heart is in solving Mombasa, and if I solve Mombasa, I'll contribute to the nation,” Shahbal recalled telling Odinga.
He said he later accepted the decision after pressure from the former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the late Raila Odinga , who was then the incoming president, describing it as “the most painful decision”.
Shahbal said he regretted not resisting the move, adding that Odinga later apologised and admitted he may have made a mistake.
Looking ahead to 2027, Shahbal said he would run under a party of his own, arguing that ODM had previously used tickets to control candidates in Mombasa.
He also remained undecided on the national alliance to support, saying both the Kenya Kwanza administration and opposition had issues that concerned him.
“We know exactly where he stands,” Shahbal said of Ruto, while criticising issues including abductions and government wastage.
On the opposition, he said: “Until now, I don't know what the opposition's agenda is.”
He said his eventual decision would depend on what each political formation could offer Mombasa.
His remarks come as political activities intensify ahead of the August 2027 General Election, with leaders across the political divide positioning themselves and mobilising support.