Coast MPs on Joho’s chopping board 2022 – Weekly Citizen

Mombasa governor Hassan Joho is plotting the political downfall of MPs in the Coast region who are pro-William Ruto in the 2022 general elections.

In Mombasa county, Joho has put in motion strategies to ensure Nyali MP Mohamed Ali aka Jicho Pevu is defeated in the next general elections.

Other than being a strong political pillar for DP Ruto in Mombasa politics, Ali has become a thorn in the flesh of Joho, accusing the governor of being a failure to Mombasa voters. He has claimed the governor is only good at dancing and portraying himself as a celebrity at the expense of development.

Reports from some quarters claim that Ali is eyeing the Mombasa governorship seat but he has neither confirmed or rejected these reports, perhaps implying that he could still be consulting and weighing the options.

Mohamed Ali

In the last general elections, Ali outmaneuvered the Joho political machine to take over the Nyali seat against high expectations that the governor’s cousin Said Abdalla popularly known as Saido who ran on an ODM ticket was to win it.

A subsequent court petition to nullify the Nyali results did not succeed. And in the meantime, Ali’s political stature has been on upward trend especially due to his bold political statements against the Mombasa county government leadership which portrays him as an independent-minded leader in the port city.

At some point, a frustrated

having worked hard enough to win the Nyali seat to stop the troublesome Jicho Pevu from coming into leadership is said to have proposed that the Mkomani MCA Kizito Opeya be groomed to take on Ali in 2022.

Opeya is a son of the late Okoth Waudi a Mombasa politician. If Opeya were to be fronted, it is assumed his candidature would attract the massive Luo vote in the constituency. Before Ali became MP, the constituency’s first MP was Hezron Awiti who went on to contest for Mombasa governor and lost to Joho.

Another ODM rebel MP in Mombasa county giving Joho a headache and whom he wants kicked out is Jomvu’s Badi Twalib. It has emerged, Joho wants him replaced by former MCA Karisa Nzai. Nzai was runner’s up for the seat in the last general elections on a Jubilee party ticket.

Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo

In Kisauni constituency, area MP Ali Mbogo is being encouraged by the Joho camp to go for the governorship to create room for the governor’s close ally Rashid Bedzimba whom he dislodged in the last general elections.

Mbogo a Wiper MP has been made to believe that he would get support from the Joho inner circle for his governor bid. However, sources say, he would be thrown under the bus ahead of the 2022 general elections.

The Kisauni MP is viewed suspiciously as an ‘outsider’ who cannot be entrusted with giving protection to Joho once out of power.

Another Coast MP in Joho’s nerves and who tops the list of those whose removal budgets are being worked out by the flamboyant governor is Kaloleni’s Paul Katana. Joho is bitter that his former PA when he was Kisauni MP has abandoned him and joined DP’s camp.

Katana is among Coast Ruto MPs whose loyalty has remained steadfast even as his ODM counterparts with whom they embraced Ruto bolted out.

Kaloleni MP Paul Katana

To cut Katana to size, Joho is using the MP’s predecessor Gunga Mwinga and a former Jubilee party aspirant Kitsao Jogolo to undermine his leadership. But the MP’s development and bursary record is said to be giving his opponents a hard time.

It is said that when Katana won the seat, he ensured his two opponents did not land any county position in the Kilifi county government, in order to weaken them financially.

After losing the seat to Katana, Gunga a lawyer sought to be Kilifi county speaker. But it is said, the MP mobilised MCAs to reject his candidature in favour of Jimmy Kahindi who ironically is a brother of his former Jubilee opponent Kitsao.

Katana reportedly supported Kahindi for the speakership as he was never seen publicly campaigning for his brother against the MP.

After Gunga speaker bid failed, he began lobbying for the position county attorney’s slot. But again, Katana using his influence in the Kilifi county government ensured the former MP was never considered.

So far, Katana has also managed to endear himself to Ruto and in the process locked out Kitsao from dealing with the DP. This has forced Kitsao to join forces with Mwinga to be at Joho’s disposal to be used against Katana who prides himself as a servant leader.

Jumwa

Just like Katana, Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa is also a marked person by Joho for being a Ruto campaigner in Coast politics.

Joho has two candidates to tame Jumwa. He is fronting ex-MP Willy Mtengo and banker Philip Charo for the Malindi seat. But even though Charo crossed over from Jubilee recently, sources say he seems to be more preferred by the ODM top leadership to go against Jumwa, it is being pointed out.

In Kwale county, Joho was reportedly fronting agriculture PS Hamad Boga to take over from Governor Salim Mvurya in 2022. Initially, Joho reportedly was interested in Lunga Lunga MP Khatib Mwashetani but advisers think he will not be easy to sell against Lung’anzi Chai and deputy governor Fatuma Achani, Mvurya’s preferred successor.

Lung’anzi, an employee of Kenya Ports Authority is said to have excited the Duruma regions of Kinango and Lunga Lunga and has forced other 2022 players back to the drawing board. Initially, he was being dismissed as a political novice but after making serious inroads he now features in most of the 2022 discussions by his would be opponents.

Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed reports that the Mombasa governor is plotting for a new political party for the Coast region. This sources say, will be actualised in case the BBI recommendations are short down by Kenyans in a referendum. The idea is to create a political bloc to be used as a bargaining chip before and after 2022 general elections.