Joho tribulation has made him a superhero

At this time one will argue that the Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho like his mentor Raila Odinga is the talk of every town in Kenya and even in the diaspora.

To his admirers, Joho is a superhero who has dared to take the bulls by its horns. Unlike in progressive democracies where one can criticise the president without fear of being victimised, in Africa, you do it at your own risk.

Anybody who understands the history of Kenya will argue that the country is sliding back to Kanu days where criticising the head of state was tantamount to treason.

Some have argued that Joho deserves what he is going through because of disrespecting the President.

Whatever disrespecting the President means is neither here nor there. The truth of the matter is that Joho has been very steadfast in articulating the issues affecting coastal people.

His eloquence is unrivaled and whether he got a D- is much ado about nothing. If the President and his handlers think to harass Joho will translate into votes they better think twice.

In fact, they have made Joho so popular that the whole country will now pay attention to what he says.

To his admirers, he is a political martyr, the biblical David and a shujaa that has dared the status quo.

The acreage of news in the mainstream media, blogs, and the social media is probably to Joho advantage.

The truth is that Joho now has many sympathisers and supporters than ever before as a result of intimidation by the entire state machinery.