Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho slammed critics who faulted his love for a lavish lifestyle, numerous foreign trips and the expensive attires he flaunts.
Joho's oufits have been a subject of debate, with questions raised over the source of his wealth. From Louis Vuitton sneakers worth Ksh 344, 000, another one worth Ksh 92,000, Versace T-shirt worth Ksh 46, 000 to a gold watch worth Ksh 23.4 million, he has had his fair share of opulence.
On Friday, February 21, Mombasa County communications director Richard Chacha who spoke to K24 TV defended Joho against human rights activists who claimed that the governor was living off taxpayers' money.
"As we are speaking, the governor is in Israel. He paid for that trip using his own funds. They’re claiming he is hardly in Mombasa, but I do not remember him going on any foreign trip in 2020 besides the Israel one.
Last year (2019), he only travelled to the United States once. Considering his expenses as governor are funded by the county government, it would be easy for one to obtain receipts accounting for his spending; they are available, and, therefore, his spending can be proven," Chacha defended.
He went to state that Joho spent his own money to dress, rather than what the activists claimed.
"He is a rich man, there’s no doubt about that. His penchant for expensive clothes and wristwatches can never be extinguished. And, given he is using his own money on the personal items, there is no crime, whatsoever, in that," Chacha stated.
While speaking at the Kenya Correspondents Association (KCA) convention in Mombasa, Muslims for Human Rights (MUHURI), led by chairperson Khelef Khalifa accused Joho of living lavishly as Mombasa residents languished in poverty.
"Joho hardly lives in Mombasa. The only aspect of him which remains in Mombasa is his name. He is always out of the country being entertained by musicians. When he is away, do you expect the crime rates in Mombasa to reduce? The governor is using money meant to support the welfare of the youth in his regular foreign tours," Khalifa stated.
"There are many stalled projects in Mombasa that the governor has never updated us on when they’ll be completed. In the recent years, he toured different parts of Mombasa promising to complete the projects, but today, they have all stalled," Hakinet Human Rights Initiative coordinator, Michael Magail added.
In an interview with Citizen TV's Lilian Muli in March 2019, Joho disclosed that he made his first million at a tender age of 20 after he landed a job as a clearing and forwarding agent at the port of Mombasa.
"That is the first amount that I saw and I said this is it. After that, I slowly grew my business and diversified," Joho narrated.
