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VISION
MOMBASA COUNTY AS A VIBRANT MODERN REGIONAL COMMERCIAL HUB WITH A HIGH STANDARD OF LIVING FOR ITS RESIDENTS
Home /History of Mombasa
Mshikaki street festivalMombasa has a long history the traces can be found from the writings of the 16th century. Many traders did attempt to enforce their governance on the town due to its advantageously central location, where Arab influence is felt prominently till date.
The town of Mombasa remained the center of the Arab trade in ivory and slaves from the 8th to the 16th century. It is known that Arab traders sailed down around to the coast of Kenya from the first century AD who continued to build trade along the ports of Mombasa and Lamu.
Portuguese also had their influence on the port that changed the face of the land by burning it almost three times. It is believed that Vasco da Gama was the first known European to visit Mombasa, whose purpose of exploration was to spread the Christian faith to further expand Portugal’s trading area. Mombasa became Portugal’s main trading centre of spices, cotton and coffee, where Fort Jesus was constructed. The Fort served as the major center for trading goods that protected the Portuguese from conflicts with locals the remains of which still attracts a great deal of tourists and visitors. As slavery was highly practiced during that era, the local slaves were exchanged for goods.
Until 1698, the Portuguese controlled the city, but soon the Omani Arabs took over the charge.
Finally, the British took control of Mombasa in 1895, wherein the British East African Protectorate was established.
Colonization perpetuated in Mombasa that promoted European culture over the town and the Kenyan lands. Like in India, the British gained momentum and established control of the port. They even completed a railway line in the early 1900’s from Mombasa to Uganda which is perhaps the major landmark in the history of Mombasa. Thus, from 1887 to 1907, Mombasa remained the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate.
The British rule ended and Kenya received its independence on the 12th December 1963. From herein, began the creation of political parties and unions that faced elections for the formation of a stable government. Though significant political shifts and oppositions led to violence, the pressure from the international and African community led the leaders to finally come to a consensus and form a power-sharing agreement.
Governor Hassan Ali Joho is the first governor of Mombasa County having successfully been elected in the hotly contested March 4th, 2013 polls. He is the immediate former Member of Parliament for Kisauni Constituency following the 2007 general election. He leads the 10- member executive team of Mombasa County, the second largest City in Kenya and home of the busiest port in East Africa.
Governor Joho is the National Deputy party Leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Prior to becoming the governor, Governor Joho served as the Assistant Minister for Transport; as Deputy Chairman of the Foreign, Defense & Election Committee; as Library Committee Member of Transport, Housing & Public Works. He served as Kisauni Party Chairman for the Liberal Democratic Party between 2006 – 2007.
He is a great net worker with immense oratory skills, which hold him in good stead when communicating and connecting with the people in his community and contributing to the significant strides he has made in his political career.In addition to being a public servant, Governor Joho is a multi-talented and influential serial entrepreneur who has successfully started, grown and managed various enterprises in diverse sectors ranging from environmental management, shipping and logistics to manufacturing and retail. As a business magnate and investor, he is the founder and pioneer of Prima Pest & Bins Limited, the first garbage collection company in Mombasa.
He is also the founder of M-Tech Kenya Limited and East African Terminals Limited, commanding respect within the shipping and logistics industry. While he has stepped down from executive positions in these businesses, he continues to provide support as a strategist and business idealist from time to time.
Governor Joho is a generous philanthropist and the founder and patron of the Hassan Joho Foundation, a non-profit organization established in 2008. The Foundation is today credited for numerous social projects in Mombasa County and the Coast region that have positively impacted on the lives of many people within the community he serves. The Foundation is involved in various initiatives in Education, Youth Empowerment and Entrepreneurship, Sports, Orphanages and Drug Rehabilitation initiatives within the County. Activities over the last five years have included the construction and modernization of primary and secondary schools with over Ksh100m invested to date; the provision of water through sinking of boreholes, bursaries that educate over 1,000 students per annum, sponsorship of various sporting activities and providing support of community policing and drug rehabilitation programmes within Mombasa County.
Born in Kisauni, Mombasa, Governor Joho holds a B.A in Business and Human Resource Management from Kampala University and various diplomas in business, shipping, logistics and ICT. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and socializing through various sporting activities including golf, soccer and swimming.