Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho in an argument with GSU officers at the Nyali Bridge where he had been blocked from attending the launch of Mtongwe Ferry in March 2017 [Photo: Gideon Maundu/Standard].
The launch of the Standard Gauge Railway line by President Uhuru Kenyatta in Mombasa Wednesday was a national event. It was not, by any standards, a private affair where attendance was by invitation. Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, nonetheless, was barred from attending by the president’s security men.
It is easy to understand why. At the Jacaranda Gardens in Nairobi where the Opposition held a rally after NASA leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka had been cleared by IEBC to run for the presidency on Sunday, Joho threatened to storm Wednesday's launch of the SGR and question the alleged misuse of funds that the Opposition believes were misappropriated.
The fear of the function turning chaotic must have informed the action by his security personnel. By any measure, this is unfortunate. There cannot be so much bad blood between the President and the Governor as to send the wrong message to the public. This was the second time Joho was being barred from attending a presidential function. If leaders, regarded largely as role models, set boundaries for each other, then what are ordinary citizens to do?
The two leaders must come down and reconcile for the good of the people they lead. Respect being mutual, Joho should desist from provoking the President; a symbol of national unity. The President on the other hand, should demonstrate leadership and restraint. After all, he remains the senior most of the two.
