SAY HALLO TO TEAM FRESH 2.0
By Jackson Omondi
He came, he conquered and left the political Jeremiahs in utter disbelief. To the uninitiated, what happened in Mombasa was considered a “knee-jerk” reaction but to trained minds, this was a well thought out affair that was driven by a consummate political aficionado.
It is therefore, not surprising that the crescendo in Mathare caught the Thomases unawares and just like weather forecasters, they could only report about it’s extent and aftermath but had zero powers to stop it.
Attempts to counter its impact, left the political leprechauns stranded in the mezzanine floor while the vibrant Deputy Party leader and his brigade were Northbound! The upshot was a dose of humiliation for the history books. Mlango Kubwa ‘rally’ versus the sea of humanity in Mathare must now be a case study for what not to do in political campaigns.
Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho’s name is now engraved in the mind of every living mammal in Kenya. And this time, he is a man on a mission – a two-pronged mission. First, get THE ENIGMA elected, then secondly, take on an abrasive Deputy President who has made it his business to remind Kenyans every single day, how amejipanga.
With this new push, Joho intends to finish what the initial Team Fresh had envisioned but the mission aborted midstream and then use this as a springboard for a presidential stab in 2022.
Judging from the reception and the political tea leaves that followed, Joho is on a steady path to political success. But, how does he ensure that this new push doesn’t get hijacked or torpedoed by ultra-hyper folks who are up to no good?
For starters, I do not claim to be an evangelist of political smarts and I am sure the suits at his political tent are able folks who can do wonders. But even when folks were on cloud nine, knocked out on trances of political orgasm, a few individuals, incredibly, found ways to dampen the spirit of party comity by stirring the pot!
Here was the deputy leader of a major party, singlehandedly pushing the political vitals of a nation and yet others were busy taunting and planting seeds of intra-party schisms. For this push to hold, Joho must move with clinical precision and tame the lone rabblerousers, employ Rovian politicos with a knack for dealing with stray teammates, hire David-esque consultants who can weave his personal narrative into the national conversation for maximum political results.
In the past, most party initiatives became a cropper because of competing interests inspired by sheer jealousy. Joho has proven that he can be a patient individual, some of his former teammates at the defunct Team Fresh, couldn’t stand the heat and lived up to President Harry Truman’s quote.
Joho’s patience is now yielding dividends but it’s now time to pick, as teammates, solid individuals with proven track records. As Deputy Party leader and the obvious heir apparent, competing interests should not be tolerated under his tenure. Politics is a bloodsport and it’s definitely not a game for ambulance chasers waiting for free and easy rides.
For Joho to keep the momentum, serious legwork must be established on this new machine and political hygiene must be maintained at all times by getting rid of fence-sitters. There is no political elixir, hard work and tough decisions abound. But if there is anyone out there who has the chutzpah, wherewithal and the guts to get it done, it’s His Excellency Governor Hassan Joho.
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