• The swearing-in ceremony of Nassir was delayed after the postponement of gubernatorial elections in Mombasa and Kakamega.
• The swearing-in ceremony will start at 8am and is expected to end at 2pm.
Image: LABAN WALLOGA
All is set for the swearing-in ceremony of Mombasa Governor-elect Abdulswamad Nassir and his deputy Francis Thoya, the County Assumption of the Office Committee has said.
The committee, chaired by county secretary Joab Tumbo, on Monday inspected the Mama Ngina Waterfront Park where the event is scheduled to take place on Thursday.
Nassir's swearing-in ceremony was delayed after the postponement of governor elections in Mombasa and Kakamega.
"We are here to specifically have a site visit to make sure that everything is in place. We are all aware that the Mombasa gubernatorial election was postponed for a few weeks, but ultimately we have been through that phase and are now ready for the swearing-in on Thursday," Tumbo said.
He said they were looking forward to the ceremony being the biggest event in the country, as a number of dignitaries will be in Mombasa.
All 47 county governors with their deputies and the 47 county public service boards will be at the Coast beginning Thursday for a week-long induction workshop.
"It will be one of the biggest events in the country, not in terms of expenditure, but in terms of output," Tumbo said.
The swearing-in ceremony will start at 8am and is expected to end at 2pm.
Tumbo said the event was open to the public, inviting all Mombasa residents and Kenyans at large to come and witness the installation of Mombasa's second governor.
The chairperson of the inauguration subcommittee Ilhan Abbas said the team began work in July as they expected the governor's election to be held on August 9.
"As a subcommittee, we were tasked to pick a venue that members of the public could access, which is why we settled on Mama Ngina Waterfront Park," Abbas said.
She said the committee was also tasked to ensure that reports were ready to be tabled in the county assembly within the next 30 days.
County commissioner John Otieno, who chairs the county security committee, said security was top-notch.
"We have had several planning meetings and I want to assure Mombasa people that we have made adequate security arrangements to ensure that Mombasa remains secure," he said.
Otieno thanked Mombasa residents for remaining peaceful during and after the elections.
"We will continue engaging our security apparatus and the public to ensure that Mombasa is secure and peaceful so that we can embark on a development agenda and help the government achieve its objectives," he said.
Nassir was declared the winner of the Mombasa governor elections held on August 29.
He garnered 119,083 votes against his closest rival, former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar of UDA, who got 98,105.
The race attracted eight candidates.
Edited by A.N