Billboards of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in Bondeni. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has said he is ready to offer his rivals the billboard sites he had already booked for free.
This comes after Joho’s opponents in the Mombasa governor race accused him of frustrating them in their quest to unseat him.Joho said the billboards will not influence the outcome of the gubernatorial race, adding that he is confident of victory.“Voters’ decisions are not pegged on the number of billboards one has,” said Joho.His remarks were reiterated by his running mate, William Kingi, who said billboards will not give the county boss an edge over his opponents. “The county chief is not depending on visibility for re-election. We cannot be held responsible for someone who did not prepare in advance,” said Kingi, as quoted by The Star.Mombasa Senator Hassan Omar, Nyali MP Hezron Awiti and Jubilee governor candidate Suleiman Shahbal had all accused the county government of denying them licenses to erect campaign billboards. Shahbal, President Uhuru Kenyatta’s point-man in the county, said his efforts to book space to put up his billboards have proven futile since January.Addressing journalists at Prima Bins on Friday, Kingi said Joho is willing to give out the 21 spaces where he has already erected his billboards to his rivals. “The Governor is doing this because he is not interested in politicizing the issue,” said Kingi.Joho is said to have booked 21 out of the 138 billboard sites in the county.