By ALLAN ODHIAMBO

Kisumu Town Clerk Joshua Owuor Aduma swears in Cllr Shakeel Shabbir as mayor at the Town Hall, yesterday. It is a second stint for Mr Shabbir, who replaced sacked Otieno Karan as the lakeside town's mayor. Photo by Sylvester Onyango

Former Kisumu mayor Shakeel Ahmed Shabbir was yesterday re-elected unopposed.

The election was presided over by the Town Clerk, Mr Aduma Owuor, at the council chambers.

The election process started when Ms Prisca Auma asked councillors to propose candidates for the vacant seat shortly after 3 pm.

The proceedings were interrupted for 10 minutes after councillors Joseph Nyabinda (Works Yard ward) and Saddam Omondi (Kasule) raised points of order, claiming the election was unprocedural and illegal.

They argued that the mayor's seat was not vacant as they had seconded Ms Auma to act as mayor during a meeting held on January 26.

But Ms Auma dismissed the objections, maintaining that the exercise had the blessings of all the 21 councillors present at the meeting.

She went ahead to call for proposals. Councillors Pamela Jossy (Aerodrome) and Elias Okach (Market) proposed Mr Shabbir.

The nomination was unanimously seconded by the other councillors. The crowd of onlookers shouted "Tinga! Tinga!" as Mr Shabbir was endorsed.

He was sworn in at 3.30 pm at the same venue. Two newly nominated councillors – Mr Tom Onyango Ngaya and Ms Florence Loyce Onyango – were also introduced to the council.

Council guards were called in to escort Mr Nyabinda and Mr Omondi out of the chambers as a group of youths threatened to beat them up for opposing Mr Shabbir's candidature.

Mr Shabbir takes over from sacked mayor Otieno Karan, whose nomination was degazetted together with that of four other councillors.

Mr Shabbir promised to work with all the councillors to restore the town's glory.

"Even God needed his angels and prophets to get things done. This is what we need to do in our service to Kisumu residents," he said in his acceptance speech.

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