Now is time to shame my detractors, says Joho

Now that this case is over, I will have time to execute my mandate.”

These were the words of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho who has graced  courtroom corridors countless times in the last one year in search of justice.

And when he sat down to talk to the Sunday Nation on Saturday, you could see a man relieved from a back-breaking burden.

The relief from the court battles was evident as he gave details of what he intends to do to catch up with the lost time and prove his leadership acumen to “doubting Thomases”, who believed he would not serve a full term.

“Sitting in courts to listen to these cases has been time- consuming and affected me and what I had planned for Mombasa people,” said Mr Joho, who looked relaxed and jovial.

CONFIDENT OF VICTORY

Mr Joho said that although at the back of his mind he was confident of victory, the time spent has often bothered him.

“As per the law, I was confident that I was going to win the case. However, moving from one court to the other has been a hindrance to service delivery. Now that it is over, it will give me ample time to execute my mandate, including the ODM manifesto,” said Mr Joho.

Immediately he won the gubernatorial seat, he faced numerous cases in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kampala on different charges, forcing him to enlist a battery of lawyers to deal with them.

Speaking during a one-on-one interview with the Sunday Nation yesterday, Mr Joho said he has now turned his energies and focus on changing the image of the port city.

“The cases derailed my focus on serving Mombasa people but now I have ample time to regain all that was lost since I ascended to power last year,” he said at his Moi Avenue office.

He added: “That [case] is water under the bridge because my focus now is how to deliver services to the people of Mombasa who have been with me during my trials and tribulations in and out of courts,” he said, adding that he still managed to improve the drainage system and garbage collection, distribute piped water, and upgrade slum areas even as he attended court.

Mr Joho expressed confidence that Mombasa would be leading in terms of development and prosperity based on the “soon to be launched masterplan”.

On the ongoing beautification programme, the county government hopes to return the city to its former glory as a historical site and tourist hub.

“We have set aside Sh700 million to rehabilitate roads, non-motorist paths and improve solid waste management so that the city can attract investments locally and internationally,” he said.

To ensure law and order prevail, his county government is constructing 600 pilot kiosks in designated sections of the city to control hawking in the CBD. The county’s target is 3,000 kiosks that will be spread strategically within and without the CBD.

“By 2016 we want to ensure 80 per cent of the city is well lit to attract a 24-hour economy just like other port cities in the world,” he said.

This will be done under the public-private partnership that will ensure solar charged street lights are in operation in different parts of the county.

Turning to his “baby” – primary schools’ feeding programme – Mr Joho said since he started this with a private partner, enrolment and sustainability had improved in many public schools within the county.

EMPTY STOMACHS
“This is a testimony that most of our children are attending school on empty stomachs and this could be the reason for the poor performance in national examinations,” he added.

Partnering with the private sector, the governor intends to start income-generating projects such as fish ponds and greenhouses so that they could sustain themselves instead of depending on county or national governments.

However, he concedes that his greatest challenge since taking over the running of the county is infrastructure and especially so the roads that are in a deplorable condition.

Nairobi lawyer and Law Society of Kenya Council member Denis Mosota, who has been representing Mr Joho in the court battles, expressed confidence in the legal systems of both Uganda and Kenya for seeing through what he calls political “charades and theatrics” whose intention was to unseat the governor through the backdoor.

“It has been a long and rugged road with legal minefields planted along the way right from the party nominations and after the General Election last year. The process has run its full cycle right from the High Court through the Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court. Luckily for us, the courts have returned a verdict in favour of the governor,” he said.