During his heydays, the then Mvita MP Najib Balala was the king of Mombasa and Coast politics. But times change. The one-time political tsunami is facing a fight for his life.
Balala contested the Mvita MP seat in 2002 after an illustrious tenure as Mombasa Mayor. And for that reason, he easily clinched the seat which was once held by powerful President Moi-era Minister Sharrif Nassir.
During the 2005 referendum, Balala's popularity was soaring. He was a member of the famous ' No' team that defeated the proosed constitution. And even after President Mwai Kibaki cracked the whip on his 'errant' ministers, lawmaker was not moved.
He would go on to retain his seat in the 2007 election and when the grand coalition government was formed, his name was one of the obvious choices for appointment to the cabinet. But in the run up to the 2013 poll, his bitter fallout with Prime Minister Raila Odinga marked the beginning of his troubles.
He lost in his bid for Mombasa senator to a newcomer, Hassan Omar. His loss of popularity coincided with the emergence of Hassan Joho, the current Mombasa Governor. But to cushion him from disappearing into political oblivion, President Uhuru Kenyatta came to his rescue as he was appointed to the cabinet.
He was expected to make a political comeback in 2017 but it was never to be. He instead backed Jubilee candidate for Governor seat Suleiman Shahbal. And once again, the President retained him in his cabinet.
But with Uhuru's term ending in 2022, will Balala try to reinvent his political career in that year's poll? For him, Joho's exit at the helm of Mombasa leadership will be good news.
Further, the recent political truce between Uhuru and Raila may play to his favour as Jubilee may finally conquer the virtually impenetrable Mombasa vote basket.
For now, it's a matter of time.