In the run-up to the 2017 general elections, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho was at the height of his popularity, thanks to his constant altercations with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
For a man who was declared 'enemy number one' of the President, his bitter rivalry with Uhuru propelled his political game to unimaginable heights. And when the time for elections came, he defended his seat with a landslide win.
In March 2018, President Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga called a truce to end their political hostilities. The move caught everyone by surprise.
As one of Raila's most trusted lieutenants within the Orange party, Joho immediately embraced the famous 'handshake' and became its ambassador.
His relationship with the President suddenly changed and he was in good books with Uhuru once again after several years of run-ins with the Jubilee government. The stylish governor is now attending virtually all Uhuru functions in Mombasa and the Coast region in general.
Despite his newfound relationship with the President, Joho seems to have lost his political clout in the region, at least going by the recent survey by TIFA.
Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa is slowly edging out Joho in Coast politics, according to the pollster. And with nothing to criticize anymore after the handshake, Joho may be forced to change his political approach to reinvent himself or risk being humbled by the combative Jumwa.