Former Mombasa governor candidate Hezron Awiti and his running mate Hassan Mwamtoa. (Photo/the-star.co.ke)
After edging them out in the fiercely contested Mombasa County gubernatorial contest, Governor Hassan Joho has come to the rescue of a former rival.
In the August poll where Joho was declared the winner after garnering over 220,000 votes, former Nyali MP Hezron Awiti Bollo and his running mate Hassan Mwamtoa finished fourth after garnering slightly over 10,000 votes.
But in a quick turn of events, Joho has come to cushion Mwamtoa from the vagaries of disappearing into political oblivion with a County Executive appointment.
Mwamtoa, a Mijikenda, was picked by the elders to be Awiti’s number two with sources saying he was to take care of the interests of the community. However, after their failed bid, his political future was left hanging on the balance.
Joho faced criticisms during his last term as Mombasa Governor for failing to pick a member of the CEC from Likoni.
But with Mwamtoa’s appointment to head the crucial agriculture docket, it will be a big plus for him considering he is the region’s political kingmaker.
Mwamtoa, who is from Likoni, one of Mombasa’s populous constituencies and mainly made up of low-income earners, was vetted last week.
While conceding defeat after the August 8 poll, Awiti said that he will take a political break and focus on his businesses. However, he declared that he would make a political comeback in 2022.