Mwahima: Humble leader who rocked Mombasa’s politics

You would easily mistake him for an ordinary elderly villager when he was seated outside his simple Swahili house in Likoni.

Former Likoni MP Masoud Mwahima would often be seen walking from a tiny mosque near his house to a crowd of his constituents in his compound.

Here, at his Vyemani home in Likoni, he would spend his day, serving his people or eating with them, seated on a tattered mat.

Dressed in a simple kikoi (a traditional woven cloth worn by coastal men) and a shirt, he would get into his white Toyota Probox and be driven to wherever his attention was needed by his constituents.

This modesty singled out Mr Mwahima who, despite not having an impressive education, was elected to serve the people of Mombasa for decades.

KCSE exam

In 2001, he sat the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination as a private candidate. When the results were announced, he had scored plain Es in all subjects, including his mother tongue, Kiswahili.

But despite being an academic dwarf, Mr Mwahima rose from a councillor in Shika Adabu to become the mayor of the Municipal Council of Mombasa.

Thanks to his good leadership, Mr Mwahima became an MP and represented Likoni for 10 years.

He was first elected to Parliament in 2007 on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket and was re-elected in 2013, serving until 2017 when he ditched the party and joined Jubilee.

Far from the good life that parliamentarians are known to lead, Mr Mwahima was a simple soul to his death.

Asthma attack

On Sunday night, he complained of an asthma attack and was taken to St Thomas Hospital.

“We took him to hospital after he had complained of an attack yesterday (Sunday). When we brought him back, he was okay. Tonight (Monday night), as we were seated outside our home, we heard a long silence and when we went to check him, he was dead,” said his son Juma Mwahima.

At 78, Mr Mwahima was also fighting other illnesses that come with old age, according to his family.

Thousands thronged his home Tuesday for the burial ceremony.

The prayer for the dead was done in his compound, before his body was carried to the graveyard.

President Uhuru Kenyatta led both Coast and national leaders, and residents in mourning the former MP on social media platforms where they poured condolences.

President Kenyatta eulogised Mr Mwahima as a statesman, witty leader and an astute grassroots mobiliser who leaves a “huge legacy” of development.

“Mzee Mwahima was an approachable, witty and visionary elder and leader who offered wise counsel and outstanding service to the people of Mombasa, especially his Likoni constituency, for decades,” President Kenyatta said in a statement.

Community projects

He added: “As a politician, Mzee Mwahima was a strong champion for community development projects, a trait that enabled him rise through Mombasa’s political ranks, serving as a councillor, mayor of Mombasa and MP for Likoni for two terms.”

The President prayed for comfort for the politician’s family and friends.

Deputy President William Ruto said the country had lost a “smart and formidable politician” who was a firm defender of the interests of his people and the nation.

He said Mr Mwahima served the people of Mombasa, those in Likoni in particular, with sustained commitment, passion and integrity.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho said Mr Mwahima was “a pillar of strength and always stood firm in defence of the people of Likoni and Mombasa at large”.

Mr Mwahima contested the Likoni seat on a Jubilee Party ticket in the 2017 election, but lost to Ms Mishi Mboko of ODM.

Mr Mwahima moved to the ruling party after claiming that there were plans by ODM leaders in Mombasa to deny him the ticket.

A week before he officially announced that he would decamp to Jubilee, Mr Mwahima caused a stir after he was photographed leaving State House Mombasa.

Earlier in his political career, he served as the Likoni Kanu chairman.

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