UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar has dismissed ODM’s calls for President William Ruto to replace DP Kithure Kindiki with Mining CS Hassan Joho in 2027.
Speaking in Kwale last Tuesday, Omar said President Ruto would not consider Joho for the Deputy Presidency, saying he was unqualified compared to Professor Kithure Kindiki.
The UDA SG argued that it would be unthinkable for the Head of State to replace “a Professor of Law with a high school dropout.”
“Hatuna chuki na mtu, lakini sisi hatuwezi kuwa serikali tunamwondoa profesa kama Deputy President mtendakazi na kumpa mwapulani kwa sababu anafanana na sisi. Hiyo haiwezekani,” he said.
Joho, a former ODM Mombasa Governor and current Mining CS, is positioning himself for a more prominent political role ahead of the next general election.
The UDA Secretary General also took a swipe at ODM Deputy Party Leader and Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, accusing him of poor performance in his first term.
Omar claimed Nassir did not deserve re-election, citing what he termed as a lack of tangible development in Mombasa.
“Tutakuwa na mjadala na chama cha ODM…lakini mjadala ambao hatutakuwa nao ni kumpa Abdulswamad tikiti ya kurudi tena kama gavana wa hapa Mombasa. Kwa wa chama chochote, kwa msingi yoyote, Abdulswamad must go!”
Meanwhile, ODM leader Oburu Oginga has hit back at Omar and Senate Speaker Amason Kingi, who had earlier suggested that ODM’s political influence in the Coast region was diminishing.
Oburu described their remarks as “ungrateful,” reminding them that ODM had played a key role in their political rise.
Speaking in Kisumu yesterday, the Siaya Senator urged President Ruto to rein in members of UDA showing disrespect toward ODM, a party that has historically enjoyed strong support in the Coast region.
There is a growing political rivalry between UDA and ODM as both parties prepare for 2027 negotiations.
