ODM leader Raila Odinga has poured out his heart to Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, whom he has described as a loyal comrade who has fought his battles and has never left his side, from the time the Mombasa governor made his debut into politics in 2004.
Speaking in the Coastal city of Mombasa on Monday while meeting delegates of the orange party, the former prime minister said due to the loyalty Joho has shown him over the years, Mombasa political leaders should grant him permission to take with him their governor to national politics once he completes his term.
”Joho and I have come from far. Our journey started during the Kisauni by-election when I supported his bid. At the time, there were a lot of irregularities in the elections and Joho lost but I urged him not to lose hope.
When he later got into Parliament he faced a lot of hurdles but he has stood firm with me until today.
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Joho has never betrayed me despite facing very serious challenges. He has even been forced to fight my battles but he has never got tired of standing with me,” the ODM leader said.
Mr. Odinga’s political journey with Hassan Joho dates back to when the latter first ventured into politics in 2004.
At the time, Joho was vying for the Kisauni parliamentary seat in a by-election that he lost to Anania Mwaboza.
The governor joined active politics in the year 2004 and was the Kisauni party chairman for the Liberal Democratic Party between 2006-2007. However, it was not until the 2007 General Election, when he was overwhelmingly elected as the Kisauni parliamentary member through the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.
He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Kisauni constituency and made the Assistant Minister for Transport under the Grand Coalition government. On 4 March 2013, he was elected as Governor of Mombasa a seat he has held for two terms.
