Governor Hassan Joho during a recent rally in Tana River County. Photo: Hassan Joho/ Twitter
Governor Hassan Joho is still the man to beat in the race for the Mombasa governorship if a new survey released on Wednesday is anything to go by.
The findings by Trends and Insights for Africa (TIFA) showed Joho would win by 68 per cent if the polls were held today.
The survey which was conducted between March 16-18, further showed that the governor's rivals; Suleiman Shahbal of Jubilee would get 15 per cent.
Senator Hassan Omar would score seven per cent, while Nyali MP Hezron Awiti would get a paltry three percent, it added.
Others combined stood at one percent whereas the undecided voters were at seven percent.
The study polled 550 respondents according to TIFA managing director Maggie Ireri.
The margin of error, she said, was +/- four per cent, with a 95 percent degree of confidence.
“It’s the first time we have conducted such a poll so we cannot categorically say whether it is the stand-off ( between President Uhuru and the governor) that has seen NASA and Joho stand out as preferred party and candidate,” Ireri stated as quoted by The Star.
On the other hand, 64 per cent still consider Joho as the Coast political leader, nine per cent prefer Tourism CS Najib Nalala while six per cent favour Senator Omar.
Mombasa county still remains an opposition turf as 66 per cent of respondents said they prefer NASA. Twenty three per cent said they were for the Jubilee Party.
"With regards to the launching of the Mtongwe ferry, 71 per cent disapproved the President's move to bar Joho from the event," she said.
“In terms of party affiliations, 84 per cent of NASA supporters feel President Uhuru was unfair in the way he treated Joho. This compared to 54 per cent of Jubilee supporters who feel the President was right,” she said.