Joho moves to new house as deployed officers remain stranded

New security officers deployed to guard Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho were Thursday denied access to his residence in Nyali.

The four uniformed Administration Police officers and another one in plain clothes spent the whole day sitting outside the posh residence on Jamhuri Road, a few metres from the Nyali Police Station.

In the morning at about 8.45 am two of the policemen sat under a tree chatting or fiddling with their phones.

County communication director Richard Chacha said the Governor vacated the home after his security detail was withdrawn last Saturday.

He said Mr Joho had moved his family to a more secure place “because he did not know the intention behind the withdrawal of the guards."

“The governor has since moved to some other secure place where he can live comfortably without the need for security," Mr Chacha said, adding that the house had a new tenant.

He was also not categorical on the number of new officers sent to guard the governor “because there was no communication when they were reinstated."

“I have only been hearing that there were some AP officers sent to a residence which the governor has since vacated," the spokesman told the Nation.

At the residence on Thursday afternoon, a man who identified himself as Mohamed Hamisi said he moved into the house last week.

“I saw the officers here yesterday and they were here again today. I told them that the governor no longer stays here," he said.

On Wednesday, Governor Joho said he was no longer interested in being provided with security by the national government, saying he would be protected by the people.

“I have never asked the Jubilee government for a favour and the only one I am asking for today is telling them to keep their security. I am no longer interested," he told delegates during the launch of the opposition unity at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi.

But speaking in Mombasa on Thursday, Mr Eric Kiraithe, the government spokesman said they were not bothered by whether or not the Governor would accept or reject the security allocated to him.

“I do not want to get so much into that because the issue falls under the security docket but if he has rejected them, there are many places that require security," he said at a news conference at Mbaraki Sports Club.

He said the withdrawal of the policemen was standard procedure and that it involved other governors and senior state officials in the country.

Mr Kiraithe also accused some unnamed politicians in Mombasa of forming criminal gangs to start political violence against their opponents ahead of the General Election.

The government was also aware of individuals including politicians, who were in possession of illegal firearms to intimidate their rivals, he added, warning that they would be arrested.  

Similar claims were made by Coast regional commissioner Nelson Marwa who went on to accuse Mombasa and Kilifi county governments of recruiting former soldiers to cause chaos during the elections.