EALA MP and businessman Suleiman Shahbal has revealed how former Prime Minister Raila Odinga persuaded him to abandon his 2022 bid for the Mombasa gubernatorial seat, a decision he now says left him feeling shortchanged.
Speaking during an interview on NTV on Monday, September 14, Shahbal recalled a meeting with Odinga at the residence of former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, where he was reportedly asked to shift his political ambitions to the national stage.
Shahbal said Odinga took him upstairs during the meeting and made a direct appeal for him to support the Azimio la Umoja coalition at the national level.
“The day we met in Joho’s house, Raila Odinga walks in, takes me by the hand, goes up three stories, and then tells me, ‘My friend, I need you to join me at the national level. We need you at the national level,’” Shahbal said.
According to the businessman, he was initially reluctant to abandon his long-held ambition of becoming Mombasa governor. He therefore sought clarity on what he would receive in return for stepping aside.
Shahbal said he specifically asked Odinga whether he would be appointed to the Cabinet if Azimio won the 2022 presidential election.
> “I said, ‘But Your Excellency, what are you offering me? Are you offering me a Cabinet position?’ He said, ‘Yes. Industrialisation, manufacturing and investment. You’d be very good there,’” he recalled.
Shahbal said his preference at the time was still to serve the people of Mombasa, arguing that addressing challenges in the coastal county would also give him an opportunity to contribute to Kenya's development.
However, he said Odinga urged him to place what he described as national interests ahead of his personal political ambitions.
> “He says, ‘You have to put the national interest ahead of your personal interest. I have sacrificed my life,’” Shahbal quoted Odinga as saying.
Shahbal also recalled that during the meeting, Odinga received a phone call from retired President Uhuru Kenyatta, further adding to the weight of the political discussions.
The businessman said abandoning his gubernatorial campaign was one of the most difficult political decisions he had made because he felt he was carrying the expectations of thousands of supporters.
“It was not an easy decision. It was the most painful decision because, you know, you have to understand when you run for office, the way I was running, it is not Shahbal looking for election. It is a whole army of people whose passions you carry, whose dreams you carry, whose hopes you carry,” he said.
Shahbal said he later regretted stepping aside after the expected political reward did not materialise.
He further claimed that Odinga eventually acknowledged that the decision may have been a mistake when the two met in Addis Ababa two years later.
“He said, ‘I think I made a mistake there,’” Shahbal recalled.
Despite the disappointment, Shahbal has now revived his Mombasa gubernatorial ambitions ahead of the 2027 General Election.
His declaration comes despite recent remarks by President William Ruto urging him to abandon his political ambitions and concentrate on his business interests.
Shahbal, however, appears determined to make another attempt at the Mombasa governorship, setting the stage for an increasingly competitive political contest in the coastal county ahead of 2027.