Joho on charm offensive to win back support of Old Town residents

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho is on a charm offensive to win back the support of Old Town residents two months after he threatened to test them forcibly for Covid-19.

Joho's May 2 threat did not go down well with the residents. He was forced to lead by example and get tested in public first.

The governor ate humble pie and was tested on May 5. He thereafter mellowed, saying the Old Town residents will not undergo forced testing.

There had been a spike of Covid-19 positive cases in the centuries' old part of the coastal city.

On Tuesday, Joho announced as he reopened the market that Sh6.6 million would be released to traders to cushion them against the adverse effects of Covid-19.

“We have seen that majority of the traders were affected by the closure of this market. I’m directing the County Trade Department to make sure each trader gets Sh30,000 from the County Revolving Fund,” the governor.

The 225 traders will also not pay the monthly county charges of Sh1,500 from May to October.

Further, they will also not pay Sh4 million in arrears accrued between 2013 and 2017.

The Old Town and Nairobi's Eastleigh estate were on May 7  locked down by President Uhuru Kenyatta for 15 days. Two weeks later, the cessation of movement was extended by another 15 days.

The county government closed Old Town shops as well as the historical Mackinnon Market.

The cessation of movement was lifted on June 7, but Mackinnon Market remained shut for another one and half months and in the meantime undergoing routine maintenance.

“We are in politics, we can play politics and still finish what we started,” Joho said during the reopening of the market.

The governor is serving his second and last term in office. He is, however, eyeing a national political seat in the 2022 general election.