After surviving an assassination attempt, with 13 bullet fragments lodged in his body, Mombasa politician Ali Mwatsahu says he is still in the race to succeed Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir in the August 9 polls.
This is even after the party he wished to vie on, Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance(UDA), handed a direct ticket to his political rival, Mr Omar Shallo.
Mr Mwatsahu, 51, was shot at 22 times on April 5 near JCC Buxton in Mombasa.
“It is God. My time to leave earth hadn’t arrived. But I am forever grateful to the tuktuk driver who rushed me to this hospital when the rest refused. He saved my life,” he told the Nation from his hospital bed.
“The man is a true Good Samaritan whom I wish to meet once I am discharged. Wherever you are, please come and see me. I must thank you properly.”
Mr Mwatsahu said the gunmen had trailed him as he drove in Bombolulu after Taraweh prayers.
These are special prayers Muslims perform only in the month of Ramadhan.
The gunmen, who were in two vehicles, shot at the right side of his vehicle at least 22 times in the 10pm incident.
He suffered gunshot wounds in his arms and legs.
“I was leaving my Bamburi home heading towards Tudor when I saw a car trailing me around Bombolulu, but I didn’t pay too much attention to it or concentrate too much on it,” he said.
“But upon reaching JCC Buxton in Tudor, one of the vehicles overlapped on my right and the driver began shooting me.”
He said he couldn’t see the occupants, but with his experience in security training, he realised they were using a small firearm. After being fired at about four times, he took cover and hid at the bottom of his car seat.
“I don’t know how I managed to squeeze myself to fit in there. I just took cover … at the bottom of the driver’s seat. I later heard the gunshots pouring like water. I managed to drive off a short distance so that he could be in a public area to be seen but he sped off.”
The vehicle, which was sprayed with bullets on its right side, with some exiting through the windscreen, was towed to the Makupa Police Station.
He said he escaped death by a whisker with 13 gunshot wounds. A bullet is still lodged in his leg.
“The doctors did their best. They stopped my bleeding and removed the 12 bullets and fragments. But they told me the bullet stuck in my leg will remain there because its removal might paralyse my legs.”
Mr Mwatsahu has linked his ordeal to politics, but he maintains he is not scared.
His wife, Mildred Odinga, said in an interview last week that her husband is vocal on political issues and land injustices, making him a target for assassination.
Mr Mwatsahu said he has forgiven the perpetrators, saying God will pay them back.
But he said he would boost his security, adding that this was not the first time he had been threatened by the ‘forces’ in Mombasa.
“But God will protect me from my enemies. This is pure politics because in Mombasa, if you go against some powerful individuals, you are no longer safe,” he said.
“If you talk ill about their atrocities, you will forever be in danger. But this case is being investigated by the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).”
He said he will start campaigning once he is discharged, promising his competitors that he will defeat them.
He said he was not aware UDA had used consensus to pick candidates for Mombasa political seats.
“I am still vying but since they have already selected their flag-bearers, I will vie as an independent candidate,” he said.
“Former President Mwai Kibaki won the presidency in 2002 in a wheelchair, and similarly, nothing is holding me back. I will win with my gunshot wounds. But this is politics, there’s nothing wrong with the DP selecting flag-bearers.”
He said he will create jobs for young people in Mvita and ensure diversity.
The attempt on his life, he said, had taught him a lesson on the importance of being extra vigilant and paying attention to small details.
“Don’t even ignore a bottle in front of you. To my enemies, prepare to face me in elections. I am a veteran in politics with over 20 years of experience. My family has given me their blessings to continue my political ambitions,” he said.
“To my Mvita people, don’t elect puppets who have been handpicked in UDA. Let’s campaign in peace.”
Mr Mwatsahu thanked former senator Hassan Omar, who is the UDA coordinator in Mombasa, Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya and other friends for standing by him during his trying moments.
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