Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho at a past event. Photo: Hassan Joho/ facebook.com
He has hit headlines in the past few weeks for both the right and wrong reasons, but one thing that has stood out is that Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho is a man on the move.
Joho made his entrance into the Kenya political scene in 2004 after the death of the then Tourism Minister Emmanuel Karisa Maitha in Germany.He contested for the Kisauni parliamentary seat in the by-election on December 16, 2004 but lost to Anania Mwaboza, a renowned lawyer.In the by-election, Joho garnered 7,293 votes against Mwaboza’s 8,374. He challenged the outcome in a court but lost the petition.It was not until 2007 when he defeated Mwaboza and was overwhelmingly elected as the Kisauni MP through an ODM ticket. He went on to be appointed Transport Assistant Minister in the Grand Coalition government.Joho was elected the first Governor of Mombasa in the March 4, 2013 elections. He polled 132,583 votes, his closest rival Suleiman Shahbal (Wiper), was second with 94,905 votes.For the past two years, Joho has become the darling of Opposition supporters due to his constant criticism of the ruling Jubilee administration.Joho has lectured President Uhuru Kenyatta quite loudly and publicly on issues concerning historical land injustices. He has also accused Uhuru of launching old projects in Mombasa.The political tussle between the Head of State and the Governor played out again early this month during the relaunch of the Mtongwe Ferry services.Joho was blocked from attending the function by GSU officers who were stationed outside his office to prevent his movement.The President accused Joho of engaging in empty rhetoric and spending more time insulting him than serving the people of Mombasa.He vowed to teach him a lesson for pestering him and interfering with his work.However, Joho's bright and promising political career now seems to be in jeopardy after the Kenya National Examination Council (KNEC) alleged that Joho’s KCSE result slip was obtained from forged documents.In a letter to the Director of Criminal Investigations Ndegwa Muhoro, the examination body said they had established that the purported copy of results slip presented to the council for authentication was obtained from a forged document.If Joho's degree certificates are invalidated, it could mean that he may be shut out of the Mombasa gubernatorial race come August.The Governor could also be charged with forgery, which is a criminal offense.