UDA demands answers after Nyali MP Ali's office is broken into

Kenya Kwanza alliance leaders in Mombasa have accused the regional security team of not providing adequate protection for them, after Nyali MP Mohammed Ali’s office was allegedly raided by unknown people Sunday night.

Led by United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Mombasa governor candidate Hassan Omar and senator candidate Hamisi Mwaguya, the leaders claimed police are partisan and that the break-in should be investigated to determine its motive.

Mr Omar said the office was broken into because Mr Ali is “vocal about what is ailing Mombasa. We want police to investigate and explain the reason behind the raid.”

Provide adequate security

Addressing reporters at UDA House in Nyali on Monday, Mr Omar called on the police to provide adequate security to all politicians regardless of their affiliation to ensure there is fair competition.

“The break-in on Sunday night raises a lot of questions because the office is located a few metres from the Nyali sub-county commissioner’s office and it is guarded by Administration Police,” Mr Omar said.

Mr Ali, for his part, said those who raided his office at 11pm were looking for crucial documents but the police have taken over the matter.

The burglars “only stole two television sets but shockingly left behind laptops but they ransacked all drawers where crucial documents are kept”. 

He said police were reviewing CCTV footage to determine the identity of the burglars.

He added: “We are shocked by the incident since there are usually two police officers who guard the premises.”

Reviewing CCTV footage

Nyali police boss Daniel Mumasaba confirmed the incident but declined to provide more details as investigations were still going on.

“We have dusted the doors and we are reviewing CCTV footage. We hope to arrest suspects soon,” said Mr Mumasaba.

Meanwhile, the leaders raised concern about political intolerance in Mombasa, saying that some people are not allowed to campaign freely and to advertise on billboards.

Mr Omar claimed that Mombasa County has colluded with advertising firms that own billboards to deny them a chance to use them.

But Mombasa has distanced itself from the allegations, saying billboards are owned by private firms and that they do not control them.

“The billboards are not managed by the Mombasa County government. They are managed by individual companies. Mombasa does not own any billboards, we only charge companies for advertisement,” said County Secretary Joab Tumbo in an earlier interview.

Over the weekend, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) vice-chairperson Juliana Cherera and Registrar of Political Parties chairperson Ann Nderitu confirmed they had received complaints about the billboards and they were investigating.

“We are in the campaign period and all candidates must be given a fair chance to express themselves. The complaints of some being denied a chance to do so is an electoral offence and we are investigating a number of cases including some in Mombasa,” said Ms Cherera.

Ms Nderitu, on the other hand, said all candidates including youth and women should be given a fair chance to campaign.

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