Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho during a past media briefing. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]

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Plans to relocate the Mombasa Tea Auction to Nairobi have continued to elicit mixed reactions among leaders in the Coast region.

The auction centre, which is located at the Tea Trade Centre on Nyerere Avenue, was established in 1957.According to Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, the economy of county will be dealt a major blow if the Tea Auction is moved to Nairobi.Joho argued that residents of the region will lose their jobs if the plan is initiated.Speaking at Tononoka Social Hall on Wednesday, Joho, who is one of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s biggest critics, said the national government should think of ways to improving the welfare of the people of Mombasa, instead of making their lives more difficult."I will fight the proposal to have the tea auction centre moved from Mombasa to Nairobi. It is the responsibility of the government to improve the living standards of its citizens and moving the headquarters to Nairobi will deny Mombasa residents business," said Joho, as quoted by the Standard.Jubilee’s point man in Mombasa Suleiman Shahbal also opposed the proposal to relocate the auction, saying Mombasa’s economy will be affected in different ways if the move is put into action."The move would be a disaster for us. This is the largest tea auction in the world," he said during a press conference on Tuesday.