Ali Hassan Joho is different : A look into his open defiance towards the president

Just recently when President Uhuru Kenyatta was launching the Buxton Foot Bridge in Mombasa, residents were treated to a political showdown as Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho used his time on the podium to lash out at the president and the entire Jubilee government.

 He said the Jubilee government is using projects commissioned by former governments and challenged the president to commission "his own projects". This was not the first time.

 In September last year, a similar tussle surfaced when he challenged the president to write off debts owed by Waitiki for the sake of the residents. Many at times when the two met on any podium especially in Mombasa, the president had to go through the humiliation of being "disrespected" publicly.

 When the president visits most CORD counties; even those in Luo Nyanza region, he is accorded high-level welcome with some governors allowing the president to even launch county government projects. Just why is Joho different?

 Angry residents.

 Just like Northern Kenya, Mombasa and the entire coast benefited less from the government but faced extreme government brutality. Over and again they braced the brunt of police brutality and are very rampant with state enforced disappearances.

 Residents of these regions are extremely angry with the government only that they have nothing to do. For this reason, anybody who shows open rebellion towards the government is usually seen as a hero and a "Simba".

 This explains why Joho enjoys huge following even when his political age mates are struggling to survive the tough tides.

 When Najib Balala was a star in coast politics, Joho seemed to be a toddler with less influence but because Balala joined a system seen as oppressive, he has now sunk in the waves and is no longer relevant.

 Governor Joho is now seen as the most outstanding politician in the coast with some referring to him as the region's kingpin. The reason why Joho never misses a chance to dismiss the president is because it is this rhetoric that gives him the huge following he enjoys.

 Unlike other governors who forget their people and use the president's visit to seek his attention, Ali Hassan Joho always uses the platform to forget the president and seek the people's attention. And it perfectly works.

 For those oppressed and killed by their government just because of their religion or ethnicity, whoever lashes out at that government is a "Simba". A "Joho".