Police Probe MP Mohammed Ali Over Alleged Attack on Joho’s Cousin

Police in Nyali, Mombasa County, have initiated a manhunt for a man they believe is connected to area MP Mohammed Ali.

This was after CCTV footage showed the man attempting to shoot Said Abdalla (ODM), a political competitor, over campaign posters.

According to Nyali police chief Daniel Mumasaba, the officers are looking to speak to the legislator after the suspect was spotted driving a car that is said to belong to him.

Reports indicate that the vehicle bore the initials Nyali 1.

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“Sunday midnight we received a report that Mr Abdalla had been attacked by unknown people around the Mambo roundabout. Police officers rushed to the scene to probe the incident,” said Mr Mumasaba.

According to investigations, the ODM candidate—the cousin of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho—saw unidentified individuals take down his campaign posters and replace them with those of the current MP.

“Upon inquiry, a man decided to shoot in the air and he escaped. But as he did so the shooting man and another went after him almost 500 metres from where they had shot and fired another shot,” added the police boss.

He declared that two spent cartridges found at the crime scene would be forwarded to Nairobi for ballistic analyses in order to identify the kind of gun used and its owner.

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“The posters are exhibits. We are also searching for the vehicle with the initials Nyali 1 which was captured by the CCTV and was being used by the gunmen. We are looking for the suspect who was captured in the shooting,” he continued.

He cautioned politicians from taking down the posters of their rivals and replacing them with their own, calling it a crime.

Mr Mumasaba also warned politicians against polarizing politics.

“Sell your manifesto peacefully, respectfully and with decorum. If someone has placed a poster on a wall, search for a tree and put yours [there]. But do not remove your opponents’ posters, that is very provocative and we will not tolerate it,” he warned.

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But according to Ali, the incident could have been stage-managed.

“Don’t drag my name into your issues. If the matter is with the police, let investigators probe it further. But it might even have been stage-managed,” said the lawmaker as he denied involvement in the incident.

In June, Ali’s office was purportedly raided by unidentified individuals.

The MP claimed that those who broke into his office at 11 p.m. were searching for important papers, but the police had taken control of the situation.

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The thugs “only stole two television sets but shockingly left behind laptops but they ransacked all drawers where crucial documents are kept”.

He said that authorities were looking at CCTV footage to identify the robbers.