Joho dares rivals as IEBC okays his bid for second term

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho displays his IEBC clearance certificate on June 1, 2017. PHOTO | LABAN WALLOGA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Mr Joho was cleared on Thursday by County Returning Officer Nancy Wanjiku at Kenya School of Government.
  • Earlier, the governor had said he was not against the standard gauge railway, launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has been cleared by the electoral agency to defend his seat in the August polls.

Mr Joho was cleared on Thursday by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) County Returning Officer Nancy Wanjiku at Kenya School of Government.

Accompanied by a number of MPs, he was given the nod together with his running mate William Kingi.

Addressing the media, Mr Joho said he is confident he will retain his seat.

"The journey continues. I thank God for all this and I want to tell the Jubilee government to be ready for a tough fight ahead. We are committed in this and we will ensure that we emerge winners," said Mr Joho.

He added: "We are now ready for the campaigns and let my competitors be ready. I will show them thunder."

Earlier, the governor had said he was not against the standard gauge railway, launched by President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday.

But he said all he wants is for issues affecting the locals to be addressed so that they too can benefit from the project.

Speaking during Madaraka Day celebrations at the Tononoka Grounds, Mr Joho the government should be fair in giving business to private handlers at the Kenya Ports Authority.

“Hundreds of trucks leave the Mombasa port daily, which means that there are thousands of people who have jobs. But what the Jubilee government has done is to shut down the other businesses.

“They are forcing 80 per cent of cargo to be transported through the railway line. Why don’t you allow Kenya Railway to compete with other transporters so as to create that balance businesswise,” said Mr Joho.