By Kwabe Victor
The Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho was appointed the coast region campaign lead.
During one of the tours in the region in Malindi, his entourage faced a bit of a scuffle when alleged goons stormed the podium interrupting the ongoing speech by deputy governor Kilifi Saburi.
Joho’s rally at Cleopatra Grounds was disrupted after upheavals when part of the crowd intervened trying to stop Gideon Saburi’s address.
The rally in Kilifi had to be cut short after alleged goons raided the dais during the Azimio la Umoja One Coalition Party tour of the area that is aimed at popularizing the party.
As the exchange between rowdy youths ensued, the bodyguards were forced to intervene as goons made attempts of pushing away Kilifi Deputy governor, Gideon Saburi from the podium.
Anxiety had built up as the youths demanded that the deputy governor gets done with his speech and let the rest of the leaders speak.
A part of the crowd was singing and demanding that Mr Saburi lets the Mombasa governor Joho speak. Owing to the tension that had built, the leaders attending the rally chose to leave the dais that is Joho included, and the women leaders were escorted by their bodyguards.
The scuffle saw Saburi’s shirt torn when an intervention by the bodyguard attempting to protect him from the goons went sour since the goons had taken up the stage.
Most of the politicians and supporters who were calm opted to leave as the rally was in the mayhem which caused tension and fears of a possible escalation into a full-blown war.
Party leaders during a meeting with the grassroots leaders countered what the DP Ruto had suggested earlier on in a tour of the area about settling the squatters and land issue that’s a menace in the region.
The DP who had promised to revert the port operations to Mombasa was dared by Joho to donate parcels of land he owned at the coast for the residents in case his policies were real.
John said, “I want to tell you if I get into the land’s office, all that which has not been done for all those years will be done immediately. I am a Kenyan who believes in myself, when I go to the table, I go as a complete Kenyan, I will be a full representative of the people.”
Having been assigned the land’s cabinet, he assured the Mombasa residents that he will cater to the tribulations they have faced over the years.