Hassan Joho, the ODM deputy party leader and former Mombasa governor has been nominated by President William Ruto for the position of Cabinet Secretary for Mining and Blue Economy in the latest round of Cabinet appointments. This role is part of the negotiated Cabinet slots following the agreement for the formation of the Government of National Unity between President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga.

The appointment was announced at State House, Nairobi, on Wednesday, nearly a week after the first batch of Cabinet nominees was unveiled.


Joho, born on February 26, 1967, is one of Raila Odinga’s two deputy party leaders, alongside former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya. Known for his fiery and straightforward approach since entering politics in 2004, Joho began his political career as the Kisauni party chairman for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) from 2006 to 2007.

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In the 2007 general election, he was elected Kisauni MP on an ODM party ticket and subsequently served as an assistant minister for Transport in President Mwai Kibaki’s government. Joho successfully ran for Mombasa governor in 2013, a position he held until 2022, having defended his seat in the 2017 election.

In the 2013 election, Joho won with 132,583 votes, defeating his closest rival, Suleiman Shahbal, who received 94,905 votes. In the 2017 election, Joho secured 220,576 votes, while Shahbal garnered 69,322 votes. He chose not to run in the 2022 general election, anticipating a Cabinet position in the Azimio government, where he was to be appointed Lands CS if Raila Odinga had won the presidency.

Education Background

Joho completed his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) at Tom Mboya Primary School in 1988. After a year at home, he continued his education at Serani Secondary School and completed his secondary education in 1993 with a mean grade of D- (minus) in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

He later enrolled at Kampala University, where he first earned a certificate in business administration. In 2008, Joho pursued a diploma in human resource management at the same university and, by 2009, achieved a Bachelor of Business Administration degree after meeting the institution's Senate requirements.