Reformed Nyali youths want to join inspectorate docket

Reformed youths from Nyali have vowed not to be used by politicians during the electioneering period.

The reformers want to be in the inspectorate and environmental dockets in the next county government. 

They said the two dockets cannot be too technical for them.

BM, a young mother, said they have been vilified because of the life they had been living.

However, she said changing their lives is for future generations.

She said they had been hacking people using machetes, robbing them of their valuables, when they break into their houses, but all had only served to satisfy their short term desires.

“You can do nothing tangible with the things and money you rob from people. You only end up buying more drugs. It is a vicious cycle,”  BM said.

“People are giving birth in tuk-tuks. It would be great if we had maternity here in Ziwa la Ng’ombe.”

She said all politicians run to Nyali for youth groups because of the area reputation.

“That’s why we have decided to be peace champions to show the world we have reformed,” BM said.

Abbas Juma, the chair of all reformers in Nyali, said they are out to surprise Mombasa.

“We want to start by showing you that people can reform. No one will chase your car after this meeting,” Juma told chief guest Suleiman Shahbal, Saturday during a meeting.

Unlike in typical political meetings, Shahbal, who was invited by the reformers, drove away with his entourage with no one chasing his car.

Juma said the reformers undergo mistrust from the society who still look at them with questioning eyes.

He said job opportunities are hard to come by.

Juma said party primaries should be free and fair, to prevent politicians from using the youths to cause chaos.

“Youth are the biggest victims of shambolic nominations because they end up with leaders they do not want,”  Juma said.

He said party-chosen leaders usually do not have the interests of the youth at heart.

Juma told the about 500 reformers to remain calm and choose a leader whose manifesto favours them.

“Shahbal's manifesto favours us, as reformers,” he said.

Shahbal has pledged to put up youth and women centres in each of the 30 wards in Mombasa to cater for their needs.

The banker has also pledged to allocate Sh50 million to each ward for projects.

Juma said politicians who do not have the interests of the reformers at heart would never have honoured their invitation.

He said they have decided to unite to have their future secured.

“When we unite, some people come here with handouts and try to divide us so we can fight each other. We are no longer interested in handouts,”  Juma said.

“They don’t invite us to their meetings. They don’t allow us to speak because they know our words are poison to them.”

Shahbal said he understands the reformers’ plight because he has had drug addicts in his extended family.

“Some of them have died because of drugs,” Shahbal said.

Shahbal said a drug addict affects many people in the family. 

“When you see these youth decide to rise above this problem, we must hold their hands,” he said.

Shahbal vowed to give the reformed youth jobs in the inspectorate, environment docket and many other places should he succeed Hassan Joho.

“You have more potential in you than the inspectorate and environment dockets. You can give more,” Shahbal told them.

He said the change in Mombasa must come.

“Empty rhetorical politics will never help the youth in Mombasa and reformers must be economically empowered to do the change,” he said.

“Economic empowerment is the key to the change we desire. You cannot expect a reformer to sustain change when they have no money in their pockets.” 

He said the Sh50 million will be in Sh10 million instalments per year for the five years if he succeeds Joho. 

“We will build a clinic in each ward. After 10 years, each ward will have had Sh100 million. The clinic will have become a bigger hospital and other projects,” he said.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris