Former Nyali MP Hezron Awiti to vie for Mombasa governor’s seat

Vibrant Democratic Party (VDP) leader Hezron Awiti Bollo has asserted that he is in the race to become the second Mombasa governor.

Awiti, former Nyali Member of Parliament will be taking a second shot at the county top seat after failing in 2017.

He was speaking in Mombasa over the weekend when he issued party certificates to candidates from Mombasa, Kisumu, Homabay, Kwale, Migori and Siaya counties.

“I am vying to be the next Mombasa governor under the vibrant Democratic Party, we are ready and I am sure we are going to win,” said Awiti.

He said that the party was going to hold its national delegates conference before the end of April.

The NDC will be held in Mombasa because that is where the party was born.

“We will be the first party to hold our NDC here in Mombasa, I will seek the delegates mandate to permit me contest to be the next Mombasa governor,” said Awiti.

He said they were solidly behind the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya presidential candidate, ODM leader Raila Odinga.

“VDP is supporting Raila Odinga as our preferred presidential candidate in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition,” he said.

The party he said had attracted over 300 candidates countrywide with more expected to come.

So far, VDP has issued direct nomination party certificates to 11 governor hopefuls, 7 senators and three woman representative candidates.

The party has also issued 28 MP certificates and about 266 nomination tickets to MCA aspirants across the country.

“VDP is a national party not a village party, we are going to fill candidates in all the seats in the country except the presidency. We are ready to compete with other parties,” he said.

Awiti said that the party had approved issuing direct tickets where candidates had no competitions.

In areas with two or more candidates, the party was using consensus and research to get the strongest candidate. Universal suffrage he said was the last option.

The party’s director of elections Fredrick Ogallo said that some party aspirants who were to face off popular and stronger candidates differed and shelved their ambitions.

“This was done in the spirit of guaranteeing VDP aspirants a win in the forthcoming elections and assuring Kenyans have the best choice of leaders,” said Ogallo.