{"id":17524,"date":"2026-01-11T18:47:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T18:47:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17524\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T18:47:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T18:47:10","slug":"bashatir-positioning-himself-for-kisauni-mp-seat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/17524\/","title":{"rendered":"Bashatir positioning himself for Kisauni MP seat"},"content":{"rendered":"

Police FC secretary
\ngeneral Chris Onguso, President William Ruto\u2019s son George, Police FC technical
\ndirector Mbarak Bashatir and treasurer Malkhit Singh at Police Sacco Stadium on
\nSaturday \/ BRIAN OTIENO<\/p>\n

Mombasa businessman-cum-politician Mbarak Bashatir is
\nincreasingly positioning himself as a national figure with close ties to key
\npower centres, a move widely viewed as part of a strategy to strengthen his bid
\nfor the Kisauni parliamentary seat.<\/p>\n

Bashatir, who also serves as the technical director of Kenya
\nPremier League side Police FC, has in recent weeks intensified his engagement
\non the national political stage.<\/p>\n

On December 19, the businessman formally joined UDA, ending
\nmonths of speculation over his political alignment.<\/p>\n

Prior to this, Bashatir had sent mixed signals, maintaining
\nclose relations with both ODM and UDA leaders at the Coast and national levels.<\/p>\n

Since officially pitching camp in UDA, Bashatir has stepped
\nup his political and social activities. On Saturday, he hosted President
\nWilliam Ruto\u2019s son, George Ruto, at the Police Sacco Stadium during a Police FC
\ntraining session.<\/p>\n

George, one of the most recognisable of the President\u2019s
\nchildren, is known more for his presence in social circles than active
\npolitics.<\/p>\n

However, his public association with Bashatir has attracted
\nattention, offering what political observers describe as powerful optics in a
\nhighly competitive political environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor politicians, such moments create a perception of
\nproximity to the country\u2019s power elite. It sends strong political signals,\u201d
\nsaid Mombasa-based political analyst Mwakuja Mrombo.<\/p>\n

Mrombo noted that hosting George underscores Bashatir\u2019s
\ngrowing association with top leadership, but cautioned that Kisauni\u2019s vast size
\nand dense population demand more than symbolic gestures.<\/p>\n

\u201cKisauni is a constituency where voters expect tangible
\nresults. Photographs with powerful figures alone will not win votes,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

During Saturday\u2019s engagement, Bashatir was accompanied by
\nGeorge, Police FC treasurer Malkit Singh and secretary general Chris Oguso as
\nthe team conducted its training drills.<\/p>\n

Bashatir has also been warming up to UDA secretary general
\nHassan Omar, whose expanding influence has made him a central figure in
\nnational politics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will restore the dignity and respect of Kisauni, which
\nhas been lost for a long time,\u201d Bashatir said on Monday.<\/p>\n

He cited poor road infrastructure, insecurity, theft and the
\nharassment of women as some of the pressing challenges facing residents.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis situation is unacceptable in a dignified society,\u201d he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n

However, incumbent Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba has also
\nintensified development activities in what many see as a strategy to
\nconsolidate his political base.<\/p>\n

On December 23, Bedzimba launched the Shanzu Senior School,
\na project built from scratch through the Kisauni National Government
\nConstituencies Development Fund.<\/p>\n

Speaking during the launch, which was officiated by
\nEducation CS Julius Ogamba, Bedzimba announced plans to launch Kadzonzo Primary
\nSchool and construct another primary school at Mabanda ya Ng\u2019ombe, where pupils
\ncurrently learn in poor conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want all our children to learn in conducive environments
\nthat allow maximum concentration. Education is the key to success,\u201d Bedzimba
\nsaid, adding that groundwork for Kiembeni Primary School would begin within
\nweeks.<\/p>\n

Shanzu MCA Allen Katana, popularly known as 1GB, has also
\ndeclared interest in the Kisauni MP seat, alongside Jubilee deputy party leader
\nBeatrice Gambo.<\/p>\n

Within UDA, Bashatir is expected to face stiff competition
\nfrom Mbarak Hamid and Shafi Mwaka.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Police FC secretary general Chris Onguso, President William Ruto\u2019s son George, Police FC technical director Mbarak Bashatir and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[80,351,352,98,100,353,101,350,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-17524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-kenya","9":"tag-kenya-news","10":"tag-star","11":"tag-star-news","12":"tag-star-news-kenya","13":"tag-star-newspaper-kenya","14":"tag-the-star","15":"tag-the-star-kenya","16":"tag-the-star-newspaper"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}