William Kingi addressing a past meetings attended by Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho. [Photo: Hassan Joho/ facebook.com]
The race for the Mombasa governor seat is expected to be one of the most bruising battles in the country during the August 8 elections as the county's political heavyweights face off for the top county seat.Governor Hassan Joho will have to give a spirited fight if he is to elongate his grip in Mombasa politics which he has dominated for the past one decade.With his biggest rival businessman Suleiman Shahbal plotting for his downfall, Joho is having an acid test in his political career.Nyali MP Hezron Awiti and Senator Hassan Omar are also seeking to unseat the Governor.However, despite the competition, the ODM deputy party leader has one major weapon in the tight race - his running mate, William Kingi.He may be a political greenhorn, but Kingi has proved to be Joho's biggest asset especially at a time like this where good mobilization skills are needed.Since his unveiling almost a month ago, the former university don has hit the ground running carrying out aggressive campaigns for his boss.Holding campaign rally after campaign rally, Dr Kingi is revolutionizing Mombasa politics and his political star has just started to shine.He has watered down Suleiman Shahbal's gains in Kisauni and Nyali constituencies which are considered Joho's political turfs.Over the past few days, he as hosted various groups including students and young entrepreneurs in a bid to strategist how he can bring them on board to bankroll the Governor's political ambitions.Kingi has been managing Joho's campaigns and with the August 8 elections inching closer, the former Technical University of Mombasa Business School Dean may prove to be the difference in the Mombasa governor race.