On Sunday, Ali Hassan Joho, the Cabinet Secretary nominee for Mining, Blue Economy, and Maritime Affairs, braved the hot seat in the highly anticipated vetting. He outlined his strategic plans before the parliamentary vetting committee, emphasizing a collaborative approach and a commitment to tackling entrenched issues within the sectors.
During the vetting session, Joho pledged to be an attentive leader, focusing on stakeholder involvement from both the public and private sectors. He addressed concerns regarding the pervasive influence of cartels in the mining industry, promising to implement stringent measures to eliminate exploitative practices and ensure community benefits.
“There are people doing prospecting for 40 years, it cannot happen. How do you prospect for 40 years? We need to quickly relook our policies. Why is GDP contribution from mining under 1%? It can’t continue like this,” Joho stated emphatically.
Joho criticized the practice of business ownership changes to avoid legal scrutiny and accountability. “If you approve me, that is where I begin. Remove cartels, remove brokers. All the time they are gaining profits, Kenyan people are losing. Kenyan population may not have an idea of what geological minerals might be in the country. They must get involved,” he asserted.
The former governor of Mombasa committed to enhancing community benefits from mining activities and emphasized the importance of reviewing the legal framework to ensure communities receive a fair share of royalties. “We should ensure we create systems that function. The Kenyan people should be a priority in receiving royalties. I am looking forward to engaging counties. Counties receive a good chunk of royalties; we may need to look at our legal framework on how we can cushion communities by channeling some resources to development,” he added.
On maritime affairs, Joho highlighted the necessity of organizing and supporting fishermen and others in the blue economy. He proposed partnerships and private sector investments to sponsor deep-sea fishing, which he described as a potential game-changer. “Today, the global demand for seafarers is nearly 1.9 million. Kenya is contributing barely 2%, we have just about 4000 Kenyans getting to the industry. We must redesign our training program to fit into the demand of that opportunity,” Joho noted.
Joho detailed his plans to realign training policies with global demands and committed to engaging MPs in this effort. His comprehensive 10-point plan includes the complete digitization of the ministry, stakeholder involvement, establishing a regulatory framework for the blue economy, reviewing the mining act, enhancing community development agreements, representing Kenya in international maritime organizations, capacity building for deep-sea fishing, improving licensing processes, and encouraging public-private partnerships.
During the vetting, Joho disclosed his net worth, valued at Ksh.2.3 billion, comprising properties and shareholdings in various businesses. “Largely built by developed properties including my homes in Mombasa, Vipingo, Nairobi, and Malindi. Shareholding in property holdings, shareholding in family businesses, valuables in watches, and cash at bank,” he elaborated.
Joho, known for his opulent lifestyle, emphasized that he chooses to be mindful while enjoying his wealth without flaunting it. “I have been wearing them (watches) even before I became MP, long before but I know how to balance. I don’t have to wear it to show off. What value will it give to anybody? I enjoy wearing them,” he explained. “I don’t need to show off what you have you have and what you don’t you don’t. You should be cautious of others.”
Addressing past allegations of involvement in drug trade, Joho dismissed the claims, recalling a 2010 report that implicated him but from which he was later cleared after an extensive investigation. “The late Saitoti came back to Parliament and tabled a report on the investigation and the outcome, and it was a multi-agency international investigation that clearly stated that no iota of evidence was found against me,” Joho clarified.
He reiterated that his wealth has been accrued through clean and legitimate businesses, aiming to put the matter to rest. “I am not a fool, I come from a family that is blessed with businesses. I do clean business, visible, that can be audited, physical, and so if anyone speaks of the report that was tabled on the dossier, also talk about the report that came after that that cleared us.”
Joho also clarified that his family does not engage in the jewelry business but operates in logistics, real estate, and trading sectors, affirming their commitment to not working with the government.
