Longtime PA among picks as Nassir finally unveils CEC nominees

Nassir, who has on numerous occasions denied reports that powerful forces were trying to frustrate him, released the list of the County Executive Committee Member picks and advisers late Sunday evening.

Mohamed Hussein Mohamedan also known as Amadow has been nominated to the Lands, Urban Renewal and Housing docket. He will be tasked with addressing the perennial land question and closing that debate in a just and fair manner acceptable to the people of Mombasa.

Amadow has been Nassir’s loyal personal assistant for over a decade and was part of the brains behind Nassir’s successful campaign.

He was an approachable gentleman who demystified the aura surrounding the MP.

“He made Abdulswamad very accessible to the local people and that is why people were easily sold on the idea of Abdulswamad becoming the governor. He was made approachable by Amadow,” Michael Musyoka, a Mvita resident, said.

Should he be approved by the county assembly, Amadow, who will be turning 33 on May 23, will lead a docket that is part of the reasons for the  emerging bad blood between Governor Nassir and his predecessor Hassan Joho.

There are political undertones that Nassir left out key people who Joho was fronting. In the list, none of the executives who served under Joho’s regime made a comeback.

According to people close to Joho, the former governor had been pushing for his people to be given the Lands, Trade, Transport and Finance dockets

Joho wanted his former executives Tawfiq Balala (Transport), Fawz Rashid (Trade) and Mariam Mbaruk (Finance) retained in Nassir’s cabinet.

“It was part of a gentleman’s agreement they put in place. That is why Joho was campaigning for him,” said one of the county officers in the know.

However, Nassir opted for Evans Oanda to replace Mbaruk in the Finance and Economic Planning docket, Daniel Otieno Manyalla for the Transport docket replacing Balala, and Mohamed Osman to replace Rashid as the Tourism, Culture and Trade executive.

On Monday, Balala, who together with Rashid went for interviews for the positions, told the Star he has no ill feelings towards anybody.

“Everybody has his own style. We wish them all the best. We will continue with our role as citizens because we still belong here. It is in our interest also that everything works,” said Balala on phone.

However, Governor Nassir played down any bad blood between him and Joho saying there was never any conversation between him and Joho on the makeup of his cabinet.

“That is not true. We never had such a conversation with the governor,” said Nassir.

“There is no bad blood. Why would there be bad blood?”

However, Joho, whose flashy lifestyle saw him post photos of himself and his close friends on Facebook, has since last week been deleting photos of himself with Nassir from his Instagram account.

Only three photos from the unveiling of the NHIF medical cover for 12,000 Mvita constituents on July 3, 2021, were remaining by Monday 11 am.

Joho’s Facebook account however still had photos of the two in various functions by Monday 11 am.

Nassir said he is not aware of Joho’s removal of his photos from his Instagram page.

“When was the last time he put my pictures? It was a very long time ago,” said Nassir on phone.

“He is no longer in politics. Mwacheni apumzike jameni. Acheni kumtajataja majina saa yote (Let him rest. Stop mentioning his name all the time),” said Nassir.

County chief of staff Noah Akala, who is also acting as the county secretary until Jeizan Farouq is cleared for the post, said Nassir’s choices for the cabinet are wise and methodical.

“People are saying he has taken time but they have seen why he has taken time. He has yielded a very balanced government that reflects the face of Kenya,” said Akala.

During the campaigns, one of the thorniest issues was county cohesion and integration with some politicians trying to wedge enmity between communities.

“But Governor Nassir has proven that he is a leader for all Kenyans living in Mombasa, not for a particular religion, community or colour of skin,” said Akala on phone.

The acting county secretary said the nominees for the county executive committee are professionals with high qualifications, who are oriented around service delivery.

Akala said Joho and Nassir remain friends.

“What I know is that Hassan Joho is the deputy party leader of ODM and Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir is the Governor elected on an ODM ticket. Hasan Joho campaigned for the election of Nassir successfully,” said Akala.

He said Nassir is purely focused on service delivery.

“He is not interested in any conflict with anybody,” said Akala.

In his cabinet, Nassir also appointed his deputy Francis Thoya to the Environment docket.

Thoya was instrumental in the Rapid Response Initiative to clear all illegal dumpsites in Mombasa immediately after they were sworn into office in mid-September last year.

Dr Mbwarali Kame will head the Education and Digital Transformation docket, while Dr Swabah Ahmed will be the new Health CECM.

Emilly Achieng, who is among the youngest nominees, will be in charge of the Water, Natural Resources and Climate Change Resilience docket.

Veteran actor Kenneth Ambani Muigai has been appointed to the Public Service Administration, Youth, Gender, Social Services and Sports and Kibibi Abdallah has been appointed to manage the Blue Economy, Agriculture and Livestock docket.

The nominees are now expected to be vetted by the Mombasa County Assembly.

Nassir also appointed advisors to his government, including Swahili Pot Hub founder Mamoud Noor who will advise the county on innovation and digital transformation.

Mombasa businessman and politician Mohammed Tenge will be the new political advisor to the governor, Dr. Fauziya Karama (economic affairs), Goshi Juma (Youth and gender affairs) while Gilbert Langat will advise the governor on Port and Maritime affairs.

Others appointed as advisors include Eucabeth Gesare, Shafi Yahya and Solomon Musyoka all appointed to advise on cohesion and integration, and Dorcas Mutheu (urban renewal).

The governor also appointed Jeizan Faruk as the new county secretary, Jimmy Waliaula (County Attorney) while Fadhili Mamuni will be the new CEO of the Mombasa Public Service Board.

Other appointees of the governor include Najma Keya as Director of Administration, Rukia Abdulrahman (Personal Assistant) and Evelyn Tatu as the governor’s personal secretary.

(Edited by V.Graham)