Tourism CS Najib Balala and Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho at a past event. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho's rise in the Kenyan political scene has not been an easy journey as he was forced to fight big political battles against established politicians in the Coast region.
After losing to Ananiah Mwaboza in the hotly-contested Kisauni by-elections in December 2004, Joho operated under the shadows of Najib Balala, the then Mvita MP, who had assumed the role of the region's political face following the death of Karisa Maitha.During the 2007 elections, Joho managed to beat his political nemesis, Mwaboza, to clinch the Kisauni MP seat. After that, he started a new war; and this time round against an established politician, Najib Balala.After several weeks of shadow-boxing each other through their proxies, the election of the new Mombasa Mayor reignited the war between the two lawmakers.With 11 elected councilors in his constituency against Balala's eight, Joho was allocated three nomination slots in the Mombasa Municipal Council while his rival was given two slots, a decision that Balala contested.Then came the election of the Mayor where Joho fronted Ahmed Mohdhar who eventually carried the day after beating Balala's nephew Tawfiq Balala.With Balala's influence in the county marginally reduced, Joho’s political stature started to rise as it would later play out during the 2013 elections.When the grand-coalition government was formed, Balala was appointed Tourism Minister and he started a war against Joho's 'man' Mohdhar, accusing him of poorly managing the Municipal Council amid claims that the city was dirty, which posed a threat to the tourism sector.As the 2013 elections inched closer, Joho was appointed Transport Assistant Minister as Balala was dropped from the cabinet after a fallout with ODM Party leader Raila Odinga.With Balala becoming isolated in the county leadership, Joho recruited Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir as his heir during the 2013 elections.During the 2013 elections, Balala lost to newcomer Hassan Omar in the senatorial race as Joho clinched the governor position in what sealed Balala's fate in Mombasa and coast politics.