In the company of other leaders from the six coastal counties, Joho stewarded a meeting on Thursday, October 19, during which the affairs relevant to the coastal populace were deliberated on. The coastal region is constituted by six counties; Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu and Taita-Taveta. Why Hassan Joho is ready to meet William Ruto He said the resolution was to meet the president and present to him what the people of the subject counties wanted to be addressed by the national government. In the course of this, Joho said political leanings would be immaterial. “From today, all of us as coastal leaders will enhance our unity immaterial of political affiliations. This therefore means we would be all united under unity of purpose irrespective of our political sides,” he said. Joho said the unity initiated would be long-term with disregard for the leaders’ respective political attachments. The governors had been instructed to come up with the summarised agendas pertinent to their counties which would inform the meeting with Ruto. Inside coastal leaders’ agenda to meet Ruto Charged with seeking the needed audience with the president on behalf of the leaders were Gender and Culture CS Aisha Jumwa alongside her Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs counterpart Salim Mvurya. “We will allow the six counties and all the leaders to come up with a development agenda for the region which we will evaluate and formally engage the president with it. We will prioritise the coastal person while having a structured engagement with the president,” said Joho. Top of the agenda would be the politics around the ports in the region, with the privatisation of the Port of Mombasa being of keen interest. “We have agreed that since we currently having the talks touching on the Mombasa port and its privatisation, including the Lamu and Shimoni ports, we will engage the president to see to it that the natives have a say on their resources,” said Joho. The meeting brought together a host of influential leaders from the region, among them Speaker of the Senate Amason Kingi, CSs Jumwa and Mvurya, senators, members of parliament, Speakers of the various county assemblies and current and former governors. Kingi explained that the meeting was not motivated by politics but rather the urge for an all-inclusive development prosperity of the region. “Today’s meeting brought together all the leaders of the region, including our two CSs. The talks were not about politics but how we can unite to mobilise development,” he said. Joho and Ruto have for a time been political nemeses, the former pledging allegiance to ODM leader Raila Odinga, who is another of Ruto’s longstanding political rivals. He was the pioneer governor of Mombasa which he presided over for two five-year terms. Joho while advancing Raila’s fifth presidential bid gunned for a Cabinet position; he had been slated to be in charge of the Lands docket in the event the former prime minister won the presidency. BY TUKO NEWS