Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, on Thursday unveiled a 47-year-old Technical University of Mombasa lecturer, William Kazungu Kingi as his running mate for the August 8 polls.
Joho named Kingi as his new running mate after Deputy Governor, Hazel Katana, quit the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to join President Uhuru’s Jubilee Party, citing mistreatment from Joho.
Kingi holds a PhD degree in Human Resources from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and was the founding Dean of School of Business at the Technical University of Mombasa.
“I am very comfortable in a classroom, but this, deputy governor, is huge. I thank my brother and friend Joho for trusting me and I will not let him down because we have already won the elections,” said Kingi.
He added,“Cosmetic solutions to land issues will not work at all. Dishing few land title deeds out will not solve, we must plan to issue everyone with title deeds for them to live decent lives.”
There was wide speculation that Joho would choose Mombasa County Secretary, Francis Thoya, to replace Katana considering that he was and still is a Joho loyalist.
But the flamboyant Mombasa governor said that he picked Mr. Kingi because he wants to hand over responsibilities to professionals and well-proven managers to steer Mombasa to another height.
Dr. Kingi is a Christian, which forms a formidable force that strikes the balance of a Muslim-Christian combination, the dominant religions in the county.
Governor Joho will lock horns with Wiper’s Senator, Hassan Omar, Jubilee’s Suleiman Shahbal and Democratic Party’s Awiti Bolo.
Joho’s announcement comes just a day after Senator Omar named a female running mate, hotelier, Linda Shuma, with Jubilee’s Shahbal opting for former Kisauni MP, Ananiah Mwamboza.
