Hassan Joho: I am ready to take over from Raila Odinga

With the court cases facing him now determined in his favour, Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho is now pressing ahead with charting his political destiny.

His first  task will be to gun for Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Deputy Party Leader  position. But after that, his plans will become more ambitious.  He will seek to succeed Raila Odinga as Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader in 2012.

Joho says he intends to do this will the full support of Raila who has declared that he will run for president in 2017.

“When time to succeed Raila comes, I will work with other members and lobby for their support,” said Joho.

But he insists that Raila remains the undisputed ODM leader. “ODM is my party. I love working with Raila. He is my political mentor, that is why I want to be his deputy to continue acquiring more knowledge from him.”

The Mombasa Governor’s political future appeared to have run into headwinds when two court cases threatened to cut short his political career. In the first case, Silas Otuke, a political activist, challenged the validity of his degree certificate and attempted to prove that Joho had not attended Kampala University. However, the High Court  of Uganda declared that his undergraduate degree in business studies was legitimate.

Joho also won an election petition filed by his political rival Suleiman Shahbal challenging his victory on the grounds that the elections were not free and fair.

Different story

“I knew that the court battles would come to an end. The cases were a waste of time and resources, but I am now looking forward to working with all leaders to deliver to the electorate,” said Joho.  The governor says he can now focus on   bringing change to the county.

And to win support from other leaders, he has embarked on  bringing back to the fold rebel leaders  and consolidate his hold on the region where CORD won most seats in the last General Election.

The governor says he will continue to  protect the rights and interests of Mombasa residents—it is his harsh criticism of the Jubilee Government that led to his clash with Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa.

Joho describes Marwa as a functionary of the Executive. “I am more concerned about a person who sent him to Mombasa,” said Joho who went ahead to tell the President:  “If you want me to respect, you should respect me first. The President was elected and I was also elected by the people”.

The Mombasa governor dismissed recent media reports that claimed he has softened his position in regard to the Jubilee coalition. 

“President Uhuru’s office is an institution which must be respected. I never gave him conditions to work with him. Respect for the presidency should not be mixed with partisan politics,” he said.

He defined his future relations with the President: “It will depend on how he distinguishes State matters, including the presidency, and party politics”.

He continues: “When he comes as a President I must work with him, however, should he come as a Jubilee supporter, that would be a different story because we are competitors”.

  “The Jubilee leadership should not imagine that they can swallow my party or attempt to sway me,” said Joho.

The Mombasa governor is focused on ensuring that he remains the point man in Coast politics and will soon host two meetings to cement his position within the Orange Democratic Movement.

Divergent opinion

“The first will be my homecoming . Then I will bring together all elected leaders from the Coast area to discuss regional politics.”

Joho enjoys the support of Coast leaders, including from the so-called rebels.

Significantly during his recent court appearances, he was flanked by Members of Parliament Mustafa Idi (Kilifi South), Aisha Jumwa (Kilifi) and Khatib Mwashetani (Lunga Lunga), who until recently belonged to the anti-Raila camp, led by Kilifi North MP Gideon Mungáro.

Joho works well with Governors Salim Mvurya (Kwale) and Amason Kingi (Kilifi) who are firmly behind ODM and Raila.

 But he has kind words for the Munga’ro group.

“These leaders are not rebels, they were only expressing divergent opinion”, said Joho. Although they have had issues with the party headquarters “they have not left to form another party,” says Joho. “The leaders, including Mungáro, are my personal friends who I worked with very well in the Coast Parliamentary Group during the Tenth Parliament.’

He says all leaders from the region should work together to deliver on  their mandate and to spur economic development.

 “I want to unite regional leaders and ensure that they work together to enable them have a strong bargaining position in the political arena,” Joho continued.

Common front

In this regard,  the so-called ODM rebels ought to be welcomed back to the fold because they have not left ODM to form a new party, says the governor.

“We will organise a retreat to forge a common front as leaders so that we can talk with one voice. I have worked with them and that is why I know Mungaro is just expressing his divergent opinions. We have respect for one another. The word rebel leaders is a creation of the press,” said Joho.

“And if one of them has one foot elsewhere, I will bring them back to ODM because this is the party Coast people love being associated with.”

He scoffed at politicians from other parties who are seeking support from Coast people and said they would not succeed because ODM’s popularity in the region was unrivalled.

“That is why it is difficult to convince most of local people to defect to other parties,” said Joho.

The governor now plans to build on some of his achievement since his election last year. 

“We have increased revenue collection, installed traffic lights, set up an  inspectorate to manage traffic flow and engaged street boys to help in garbage collection to generate income instead of harassing residents,” said Joho.

The county counts among its successes the school milk programme and the construction of  a salt water desalination plant at Shanzu sponsored by Dutch government at cost of Sh300million.

Developments in the pipe line up include the construction of district hospitals at Changamwe and Kisauni and the construction three-foot bridge at Kongowea and Changamwe.

“I want my political opponents to know that they wasted their money and time in fighting me,” said the Mombasa governor.