Shahbal defies Ruto, quits ODM over Mombasa gubernatorial race
Mombasa businessman and politician Suleiman Shahbal has rejected President William Ruto’s attempt to dissuade him from contesting the Mombasa governorship, insisting he will be on the ballot in 2027 even if ODM denies him a ticket.
The businessman-turned-politician also alleged that the President had been influenced by people seeking to push him out of the race, accusing political actors of using party structures and zoning to determine who should contest elective positions.
“I believe the President was incited to utter those words to push me out, that I am a businessman and I should leave politics for politicians. That is why they are pushing for zoning. Why can’t you allow the electorate to decide?” Mr Shahbal said.
Mr Shahbal also announced his exit from ODM, saying he has concluded that the party will not give him its ticket and insisting that he will contest the Mombasa governorship regardless of its backing.
The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP said he was preparing to unveil a new political vehicle under which he would mount his 2027 bid.
“We are in “friendly divorce” from ODM; the party would not nominate me and I am preparing a new political vehicle. But whether or not I have an ODM ticket, I am on the ballot. We have our political party which we will unveil soon,” he said.
His declaration sets up a fresh political battle in Mombasa and marks a sharp break from the 2022 arrangement in which he withdrew his gubernatorial bid and backed Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.
On September 7, 2026, President Ruto publicly sought to dissuade Mr Shahbal from returning to the race, arguing that Kenya would benefit more from his business acumen, investments and job creation than from his entry into elective politics.
“You remember I told you, Mr Shahbal, that I know you want to run for Mombasa governor, and I told you I am against it. Forgive me, my brother, Shahbal, but you are a great entrepreneur,” Dr Ruto said at State House, Nairobi.
The President was speaking during the signing of a Sh12 billion agreement between Mr Shahbal’s GulfCap Group and global logistics company DP World to develop a 535-acre Special Economic Zone in Jomvu. The first phase is expected to create about 10,000 jobs.
Dr Ruto used the investment to make the case for Mr Shahbal to remain in business.
“We have too many people who can be politicians, and I am one of them. It is not that politicians are less human beings. But this country cannot be grown by politicians alone. We need serious industrialists, serious investors and Kenyans who can do many things that can grow this country,” he said.
He then contrasted the businessman’s role in attracting investment with the pressures of elective office.
“Look at what you are doing with this. It will get 10,000 people working. It is better than you going there and being troubled by MCAs, being shouted at, facing demonstrations and being abused,” Dr Ruto said.
But Mr Shahbal is refusing to make the choice for which the President is asking. In an interview with journalists in Mombasa, streamed on his Facebook page, he acknowledged his friendship with Dr Ruto and praised the President for recognising his achievements in business. But he said he disagreed with the advice to abandon politics.
“First of all, Dr Ruto is the President of the Republic of Kenya, and he is someone I respect a lot. Number two, he is my very good friend and I respect a lot of the many things he said. But on this I respectfully don’t agree with you, Mr President,” he said.
Mr Shahbal questioned why the President, who is also a businessman, would ask him to choose between business and political leadership. He claimed that many Kenyan politicians have business interests, putting the figure at about 70 per cent. According to him, business and politics serve different purposes.
“The only thing I don’t agree with him on is that I should drop my bid and stick to business. You know business is a private thing; you get losses and profits which are enjoyed by your family and employees. But in politics, when you are looking for leadership, it is a selfless act to work for the public. So I am still in the race,” he said.
His determination is also rooted in what he considers the mistake of 2022. Mr Shahbal withdrew from that year’s gubernatorial contest after interventions by former President Uhuru Kenyatta and the late ODM leader Raila Odinga, eventually backing Mr Nassir.
His withdrawal drew widespread condemnation from the huge support base that he had gathered ahead of anticipated ODM primaries. He now says he regrets stepping down.
Mr Shahbal recalled that Mr Odinga had urged him to abandon his gubernatorial ambitions and consider a national political role. At the time, he said, he felt refusing would amount to disrespecting the senior leaders who had intervened.
“I felt if I refused, I would be disrespecting the President,” he said.
This time, however, he says party leaders will not determine his political fate.
“This time only God and the Mombasa people will stop me, but I am in the race. They should brace themselves,” he said.
He accused ODM of using nominations to control political ambitions, recalling claims that some MCAs who wanted to work with him in 2022 were threatened with losing their party tickets.
“The era of deciding candidates who must vie and those that should drop out in the boardroom has been overtaken by events,” he said.
Mr Shahbal said he was now in a “friendly divorce” with ODM because the party’s position on his candidature had become clear.
His decision to leave the party could test his ability to build political muscle outside a party that has remained a dominant force in Mombasa politics for more than a decade. However, Mr Shahbal has been using different political parties for his leadership ambitions, including Wiper and Jubilee since 2013.
He has also ruled out taking a Cabinet Secretary position if offered one.
“Because I am not going into politics to be called a CS. I want to change our city. Our home is in Majengo Chura next to the Coast General Teaching and Referral Hospital. My interest is Mombasa. Charity begins at home,” he said.
Mr Shahbal says he is not seeking office for financial gain, insisting he is already financially comfortable and wants to serve the public.
He has proposed allocating Sh50 million annually to every ward for development projects covering health, youth, women and security, saying resources should be devolved more directly to the grassroots.
“How can Kiambu be better than Mombasa? I will empower MCAs and devolve all the sectors. In no uncertain terms, in August 2027, whether they like it or not, I will be on the ballot. Change must come,” he said.
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