Strategy? Hassan Joho’s Friendship With Kenyatta May Win Him Presidency

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has said being close with President Uhuru Kenyatta has increased his chances of winning the presidency. Mr Joho accompanied the Head of State in his Mombasa tours early this week. President Kenyatta had toured the port city for the official launch of Kenya Coast Guard Service in Liwatoni. The President then attended the official launch of the Jumuiya ya Kaunti za Pwani (JKP) blue economy and agri-business in Shanzu, Mombasa. In all these engagement, Mr Joho, the deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) appeared to be enjoying the closeness with the President. At the conference the governor did not disappoint his supporters.

INFLUENTIAL

“I am very influential. I am sitting next to the President, is it that not being influential?” he said as he explained how he assisted Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi who had lost his passports in Italy after his briefcase was stolen at the Rome International airport. The Mombasa governor said his bitter exchange with Mr Kenyatta is now in the past. The influence that the governor now wields is likely to boost his chances of going for the top seat in 2022, a journey he termed unstoppable.

When he organised an opinion leaders meeting that was attended by more than 1,000 leaders drawn from all the six counties in Coast region last month, the Mombasa governor insisted that his ambition to lead the country in 2022 is unstoppable. “This time around, even if it is failing then it will be in the ballot. I must be in the presidential ballot in 2022,” Governor Joho said during the meeting.

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JUBILEE CRITIC

A Raila point man in the Coast, Mr Joho was a strong critic of the Jubilee regime and together with Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi, the two leaders were instrumental in the resounding defeat of the Jubilee government in the 2017 General Election in the region. After last year’s general elections, Mr Joho stood firmly with his ODM boss Raila Odinga in accusing Mr Kenyatta of stealing the presidential election. But after the March 9 handshake between President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga, Mombasa governor toned down on his attacks on Jubilee regime and started embracing President Kenyatta. In June, the governor reiterated his commitment to working with government,. “The success of my ambition will however largely depend on your support as your son in this region,” he said.

SEARCH FOR VOTES

Mr Joho said he already has a plan that will see him traverse the country in search for the votes and that he will be banking greatly on the 1.7 million votes from Coast. However, some analysts Mr Joho will not have it easy as he may think. Pwani University don Prof Halim Shauri said that the friendship between Joho and President Kenyatta is pegged on Mr Joho’s efforts to get the assistance of the Head of State. “President Uhuru Kenyatta is now in power and holds a stick that is important to every leader. That is why you have not only seen Joho close to the President but also Kalonzo Musyoka who has also come closer to the President,” said Prof Shauri. Prof Shauri said being close to the President is not a guarantee that he will support his cause.

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SUCCESSOR

Mr Joho, he said, might have to fight to his own political fights since the President might resist in directly naming his successor or a person to support. “Whether being closer to the President is not or relevant will depending on two things: Whether the President will anoint his successor and that successor is Joho. Secondly the President has a possibility of saying ‘ am not anointing anybody'”, said Prof Shauri. The university lecturer said politics is development and the biggest development was the March 9 handshake.

“At the moment, the biggest political occurrence was the handshake that buried all the hostiles that had existed” said Prof Shauri. According to Kazungu Katana, the ‘most influential person’ tag does not place the governor anywhere close to the presidency. “He can be dominant in Coast politics because he has all the resources to walk across the country and the region. But what has he done to the people of the region so that they can accept him,” Mr Katana said. He said that the governor is engaging in political opportunism and that might even worsen his situation.

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