Governor Ali Hassan Joho is fed up with Uhuru regime and he doesn’t hide it. Within the ranks of ODM, especially among the county leaders, Gov. Joho bestrides the opposition to the jubilee regime like a colossus.
Joho wants Raila Odinga to be President. But more, Joho wants the current Jubilee regime to pack and take a leap home. Maybe its because under Jubilee regime, Mombasa town and Mombasa County has been the worst hit, with its backbone economic activity, tourism, taking a deadly blow.
Joho feels part of the insecurity problem in Mombasa is a creation of the Jubilee regime, which has been defeated in controlling the country’s porous borders. Then there is the county commissioner using Mombasa youths as toys and items of his job description. Commissioner Marwa is a hated fellow in Mombasa because, as a local told this writer, he is a ‘meddler’.
Governor Ali Hassan Joho, now the second highest ranking personality of the Orange Democratic Movement having been re-endorsed as ODM Deputy Party Leader during the party’s last week National Governing Council meeting at Bomas of Kenya, is a seasoned politician now serving his third term as an elected leader.
Gov. Joho also holds the added trump card of having delivered to ODM the whole of Mombasa County assembly, which forced the party to elect one of its members as a minority whip. Mombasa County for two consecutive elections has voted ODM to a man (and woman) making Gov. Joho a ‘super governor’ for the Orange party.
But Joho is not done. He recently revealed to delegates that under him and the fiery Secretary General Ababu Namwamba, ODM will run in 2017 one of the toughest races against the Jubilee Alliance, exuding confidence that the party shall triumph.
Joho has now revealed that he is setting his eyes for the 2022 presidential elections. What this means is that his handling of the 2017 race will be critical as ODM looks beyond Raila Odinga, the engima of Kenyan politics.
That Joho is a powerful political player is not in doubt to the jubilee alliance which has used the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions to scuttle his chances with a case involving his academic credentials.
A lawyer versed in the case against Joho told this writer how Jubilee used an activist to revive the case which a three judge bench had thrown out.
Uhuru had visited the Mombasa and was received by Gov Joho as is acceptable. However, jubilee media wing went overboard with celebrations of a pact between Joho and Uhuru with all the three major newspapers reporting, in screaming headlines, that Gov. Joho had finally ‘agreed’ to ‘work’ with the Jubilee government.
Soon after this, Joho met his party leader Raila Odinga and categorically denied the media allegations of a deal between him and Jubilee. He even went ahead to indicate he is in ODM to stay and will still support and vote for ODM leader Raila Odinga.
It did not take a day before his academic case was revived with the DPP ordering ‘fresh investigations’ into the governor’s academic credentials. Mombasa county leaders noted the new development and termed it a witch hunt, however, Gov. Joho welcomed the new developments, saying he will be vindicated with time.
But with the elevation of the Mombasa governor within ODM and the larger CORD, pundits agree that he remains a viable candidate for the Orange party beyond Raila Odinga. In fact, during the Friday NGC meeting by the party at Bomas of Kenya, Joho was given a standing ovation by party delegates.
Whatever happens, it seems ODM has a clear presidential line up in at least two elections coming.
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