Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and his Kilifi counterpart Amason Kingi at a past event. [Photo/ standardmedia.co.ke]
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho’s political dominance in the Coastal region is at stake if the current political situation is anything to by, analysts have said. According to the pundits, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi is likely to challenge the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) deputy leader’s control of the region.The analysts cited Kingi’s exemplary performance during the August general election where he delivered all the seats in the county to the ODM party. Both Kingi and Joho have expressed interest in the country’s top seat come 2022.Professor Hassan Mwakimako argued that Kingi is a force to reckon with in the region’s politics, adding that he rose to the limelight before Joho. “He was a minister in the Mwai Kibaki administration and he just needs positioning,” said Mwakimako, as quoted by the Star.Other analysts, however, have argued that Kingi’s dominance is under threat because the Jubilee administration is keen to bring him down.The argument is based on Jubilee’s move to campaign more in Kilifi than in Mombasa prior to the August 8 polls.On his part, Professor Rocha Chimera argued that marginalization is likely to be a stumbling block against Joho’s rise to national politics. The analyst opines that Joho considers himself an Arab yet he is Swahili.Philip Kaulu of Technical University of Mombasa argued that the fact that Kingi is a Mijikenda, the largest community in the Coast region, makes him a strong candidate but the money factor puts Joho on top of the game.