VIDEO: Joho lectures Uhuru on hijacking Mombasa projects
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho has dismissed reports that the government pumped a lot of money into the Buxton foot bridge.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who officially opened the bridge on Thursday, boasted about his government’s allocation of large amounts of money to Coast counties, Mombasa in particular
“Over Sh600 million has been used to build this foot bridge. Foot paths and slums at the Coast will be upgraded at a cost of Sh3.2 billion,” he said without specifying the source of funds.
Joho, who spoke in Bamburi while Uhuru watched, said the money for the bridge was donated by World Bank.
“I know the history of this project. It started in 2010 way before Jubilee came to power,” he said.
“What we want to hear being announced is that the Jubilee government will leave behind a few billions for several projects.”
President Uhuru Kenyatta and government officials including Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala during the official opening of Buxton footbridge in Mombasa, January 5, 2017. /PSCU
Uhuru also commissioned the Ziwa la Ng’ombe Informal Settlement Infrastructural Improvement Project in Nyali, and Mombasa Storm Water Drainage Improvement Project Phase 2 in Bamburi.
The Governor, who has severely criticised Jubilee, praised the President for launching projects but asked him to list those they have managed from the group up, for the benefit of the people of Mombasa.
Joho thanked the President for visiting and said in Kiswahili: “Huu ni mwaka wa siasa na tumeambiwa watu wajitetee kwa matendo yao. Sisi kama county government tumefanya yetu, tunataka tuone ni nini jubilee government imefanyia wana pwani tukielekea kwa uchaguzi.”
(This is the year of elections and we have been told to defend ourselves. As a county government we have done our part. We want to see what Jubilee has done for the people as we head to the election.)
The county chief further said Mombasa was a Cord stronghold and that he continue to sell the opposition’s agenda, whether or not Jubilee allocates funds for projects.
Uhuru’s party earlier dismissed the National Super Alliance as a mirage that will collapse the same way opposition leader Raila Odinga’s Pentagon did.
He said Jubilee will not be defeated in the August 8 poll because of its track record and criticised the opposition for propagating retrogressive politics.
