The Luo professionals group in Mombasa has thrown its weight behind Mombasa businessman Suleiman Shahbal’s bid to become the next Mombasa governor.

Shahbal hosted the group for dinner on Friday night in a Mombasa hotel where the group led by its chairman Pius Oketch endorsed him to vie for the position.

Speaking during the event, Oketch lamented that the Luo community in Mombasa were disappointed with governor Joho’s administration in his second term in office saying that as a community they don’t have much to talk about even after overwhelmingly voting for him.

Oketch said that the strength of the community in the county cannot be underestimated because they come third to the Mijikenda and the Kamba community as the largest voting blocks in the county.

He added that the community has consistently voting as a bloc heeding to what ODM party leader Raila Odinga has said, however they were now getting tired because it was not working for them.

“For a very long time before devolution, Luos were at the top during the defunct city council, after devolution there has been that systematic face off of our people, it is one of the reason we came up with this group because we realized we were being taken for granted,” said Oketch.

The group pledged to rally the entire community in Mombasa to vote for Shahbal as their preferred candidate of choice to replace Joho at the helm of the county.

“Bwana Shahbal I want to assure you our unconditional support, we have agreed that we are going to support your candidature,” he added.

They raised a number of issues that they would as a community wish to be addressed range from equality in available job opportunities, fair distribution of bursaries among others.

The group’s secretary general Nicholas Kisara echoed Oketch’s sentiments adding that they were going to support him to the end.

“Right now we have chosen this path, we will walk with you if you allow us to walk with you, we will not go back whatever happens, we will walk this journey to the end,” he said.

Shahbal on his part assured them of his commitment to work with the larger Luo community living in Mombasa under his administration if elected governor.

He said that Mombasa was yearning for change and he was ready and capable of bringing the much needed and desired change given the chance.

“As my party leader Raila Odinga is leading the third economic liberation in the country, he wants serious people who can deliver the change, things in this county must change,” said Shahbal.

He added that the dream he envisioned for Mombasa back in 2013 when he vied for the first time was very much alive and even better improved as he promised to make changes and transform the various sectors in the county.

“Nobody in this county is going to accept projects , change must come. My vision for Mombasa has never weathered since 2013, for there to be change we must work for it. We must reclaim this city,” he added.

Shahbal’s endorsement by the group is expected to create political waves within members of the luo community living in Mombasa who seem to be divided over who to support to succeed Joho.