Mombasa residents irked by county executive’s no-show at forum

Angry residents of the 10 Mombasa County government estates and two greenfields on Tuesday disrupted a meeting to discuss their housing woes after top county officials failed to show up.

The meeting, which was held at the Tudor Pastoral Centre and organised by Haki Yetu Organisation, was meant to update the residents on the progress of various plans the county has for the regeneration of the estates.

However, the residents were angered by the no-show by county lands executive Mohammed Hussein alias Amadow, who had been invited and even confirmed he would attend.

Hussein however sent an engineer in the housing department, Abdulaziz Kassim, instead, a decision that didn't go down well with the residents who demanded answers directly from Hussein.

Kassim, who is in charge of the Likoni, Mzizima and Changamwe estates was heckled after he said he would represent the county government. The meeting was disrupted for about 20 minutes and efforts to get the angry crowd to listen to Kassim were futile.

“We don’t want a messenger here. We want to hear from the big people in charge. They should respect the people who made them get to the office,” an incensed Muslim for Human Rights’s Frederick Okado said.

It took the intervention of Coast Civil Society Network chairman Zedekiah Adika to restore calm and convince the residents to give Kassim a chance.

Hussein told the Star he skipped the meeting because of an emergency.

“I sent someone who has been on the ground to represent me. I purposed to attend and that is why I confirmed my attendance but some circumstances are unforeseen,” Hussein said.

Haki Yetu Executive Director Father Gabriel Dolan said the county is disrespecting Mombasa residents by their actions.

“For the minister to skip (this function) is an insult to the hundreds here and the thousands they represent,” Father Dolan said adding that the county is concealing the truth from the public.

“But he can run but cannot hide. Don’t joke with the anger of the people,” the Catholic priest said.

The priest said since the previous regime, there have been numerous promises with little action on the ground.

“There have been demolitions and threats of demolitions. These many houses that are said will be built, who will they belong to?” Dolan questioned.

He said they have been to court which granted them orders for the county to release names of would-be beneficiaries of the housing units once they are built.

“But we have not been furnished with the same. That is why we think there is something that is being hidden,” he said.

However, Hussein said the county has laid bare all that is needed for public consumption.

“They asked about the Changamwe estates. There is the Laptrust Fund that owns the land, not us, in Changamwe,” he said.

Haki Yetu believes there are some grey areas that the county needs to be open about and explain to the public.

“We feel this concept of affordable housing is not for the common mwananchi. It is for the rich, the big people, and the politicians,” he said.

Adika said: “We are here to discuss what percentage the county wants to help move out of the informal settlements to formal settlements with decent environments.”

He said leaders need to show respect to the people they serve.

“If you tell us you will come, show respect by actually showing up and responding to the questions the people have.”

He said Kenyans are now forced to pay housing levies to the national government yet housing is a devolved function.

He said access to information is key for any responsible government because this clears any doubts in people’s minds.

Adika said this would not stop the residents from seeking information. He maintained that he would not allow the residents to be part of a process that is not clear.

Ujamaa Centre programs officer Grace Oloo said it is sad that the county lands and housing executive failed to show up without any apology after residents left their normal schedules to listen to him.

“This thing has been planned for over a month. It is only this morning that we get information he will not be attending. He should have just come and said one or two things before leaving for that other assignment,” Oloo said.

Haki Yetu programs officer Julius Wanyama and Land and Housing officer John Paul Obonyo said the land topic is a hot potato in Mombasa.

Obonyo said residents need to know how they will benefit from the Sh50 million set aside for titling in Mombasa over the next five years.

About 24 percent of the tenants living in the county estates earn less than Sh10,000 a month and they must be involved in any housing project that affects them, according to Obonyo.

Mombasa has approximately 1.3 million people in population majority of whom live in the 907 villages in the county.

The 907 villages, Obonyo said, is an increase from the 657 villages from the 2017-2022 County Integrated Development Plan.