A Mombasa politician has narrated how he survived a gun attack along a busy highway in the coastal city.
Ali Mwatsahu was heading home after evening prayers when he spotted two vehicles trailing him. The politician stated that although he was aware of the vehicles he did not read any ill-motive nor was he bothered by them.
At Tudor, a suburb of Mombasa, one of the vehicles blocked him before the occupants opened fire, shooting at him indiscriminately. The sound of gunshots shocked him and he realized that he had been hit.
The gunmen continued shooting at his car, hitting him on the arms and legs. Mwatsahu drive off a short distance while still under fire and reached an open public place.
"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,” Mwatsahu narrated.
“But upon reaching JCC Buxton in Tudor, the vehicle overlapped on my right and the driver began shooting at me.
“I don’t know how I managed to squeeze myself to fit in there (under the steering wheel)... I just took cover. I later heard the gunshots pouring like water. I managed to drive off a short distance so that the gunman could be in a public area to be seen but he sped off," he added.
Mwatsahu noted that only one tuktuk driver opted to help and rushed him to the hospital. The politician stated that he had not met the man who saved his life.
At the hospital, doctors stopped the bleeding and removed 12 bullets and fragments that were scattered all over his body. However, he was told that a bullet on his leg will not be removed due to the terminal dangers it could cause him.
“It is God. My time to leave earth hadn’t arrived. I am forever grateful to the tuktuk driver who rushed me to this hospital when the rest refused. He saved my life,” he recalled.
“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," he stated.
The 51-year-old stated that his race for the Mvita parliamentary seat remains strong and he will contest as an independent candidate. He had initially wanted to vie on a United Democratic Alliance(UDA) ticket.
