This archive report was first published on 25 October 2019.
On October 25, 2019, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir responded to critics of Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho's fashion sense, saying Joho's expensive clothes and shoes are a result of his hard work and success.
Nassir made the remarks during the commissioning of 28 high-density fibreglass boats for Beach Management Units in Mombasa.
‘People talk about the expensive clothes and shoes he wears today. But they don’t mention or know that he went to Tom Mboya primary school with torn clothes and shoes,’ Nassir said.
He asked, ‘When he was going around Mombasa selling vitumbua (a type of Swahili pastry) nobody talked. Now he is travelling all over the world, people are unhappy. What do you want?’
According to Nassir, God chose Joho and other leaders in Mombasa because He knew there would be challenging moments requiring their resilience to solve problems.
‘The governor has gone through many tribulations. From being accused of drug trafficking to being humiliated by the government during his political war with Uhuru. He has always emerged victorious, though sometimes bruised,’ Nassir said.
Joho also weighed in, saying, ‘Abdulswamad, don’t bother with those. Haters are the same wherever you go and in whatever you do. It is their habit. Their hearts are impure. They will never change.’
He added, ‘I have seen a lot. Oooooh! The governor has worn an expensive shoe. Wear yours too. If you don’t have them, persevere. We also did not have them at some point.’
