Deputy President William Ruto is a man facing a fierce battle as he seeks to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2022.

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On Tuesday, it emerged that Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, the man who represents one of Coast region's most influential counties rose and opposed him telling the DP how prepared he is to deal with the former Eldoret North MP as the spring towards 2022 kicks off.

Coast is among regions that Ruto is targeting to get votes in his quest to ascend to State House after the 2022 general elections.

The DP has visited Coast a record nine times from the time he and Uhuru were sworn in to serve a second term in office.

So what is Ruto's fresh challenge in all these political developments?

Joho enjoys massive support in the entire Coast region and will play an instrumental role in determining which presidential candidate will garner more votes in the region because he has been at the forefront championing the interest of the residents of the region especially on land allocation.

The county chief also vigorously campaigned for opposition chief Raila Odinga during the 2007, 2013 and 2017 general polls in Coast and ensured the former Langata MP bagged majority of the votes.

This trend clearly shows how Joho can easily neutralize Ruto's growing influence in the region that wholly relies on the tourism sector.

Ruto has managed to bag the support of a section of the leaders from the region including ODM outspoken lawmaker Aisha Jumwa. However, no one can rule out the fact that Joho can reverse all of Ruto's gains and frustrate the DP's quest to harvest votes in Coast.