The race for Mombasa gubernatorial election seem to have already taken shape few months after flamboyant Ali Hassan Joho was re-elected on August 8, 2017 general elections.
So far, at least four politicians have already expressed interest in succeeding Joho, who was elected twice through an ODM party ticket to lead the county whose city is Kenya's second largest city.
Those who have shown interest include:
1. Badi Twalib Bady - The politician who is Joho's close confidant, is the current ODM party's Jomvu Constituency MP. He first won the seat in 2013 through Wiper Democratic Movement.
2. Abdulswamad Nassir - He is a two-time ODM party's Mvita MP, and Joho's close confidant.
3. Ali Mbogo - He beat and ousted ODM's Rashid Bedzimba to scoop Kisauni parliamentary election seat in 2017 general elections.
4. Aharub Kharti - The Mombasa County Assembly Speaker is a close confidant of Joho.
The Somali community in the County is also preparing to front a governor candidate in 2022 through Jubilee Party, according to their leader, Mohamed Huri.
It is not clear whether candidates who lost to Joho in 2017 will as well try their lack.
They include businessman Suleiman Shahbal, former county senator Omar Hassan, and former Nyali MP Hezron Owiti.