This archive report was first published on 23 September 2019.
Published on September 23, 2019, Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi is seeking to outshine his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho as the Coast political kingpin ahead of the next general elections.
Kingi, who is thought to be allied to William Ruto, has begun to chart his own political direction away from Joho's wings. This is evident in his surprise move to call for a meeting of all MPs and MCAs from the Coast region without Joho's input to discuss the dwindling business fortunes at the port of Mombasa, which he attributes to the Standard Gauge Railway.
The meeting's agenda includes discussing the port of Mombasa, which falls under the county of Mombasa. This has raised political eyebrows, as Joho has been accused by Nyali MP Mohamed Ali of entering into multibillion-shilling contracts to benefit from the SGR while thousands of Mombasa residents have lost livelihoods as a result of the loss of business.
Kingi's new move also comes at a time when he has been engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with Joho regarding the Ganda ward by-election in Malindi constituency, Kilifi county. Kingi has avoided the by-election campaigns, putting Joho in an awkward position, as the Mombasa governor cannot make a serious impact in the campaign without the support of local leaders.
