Mombasa businessman and politician Mbarak Bashatir
at Masjid Arrahma on August 1 / BRIAN OTIENO
MOMBASA businessman and politician Mbarak Bashatir has warned politicians against using the land question to inflame emotions for political gain.
Bashatir said land remains one of
the most sensitive issues in Mombasa and across the Coast region, warning that
careless political rhetoric could disrupt the peace.
“The way we address land questions
in Mombasa or anywhere at the Coast is important. We must never use the land
question to target political opponents, especially without verified facts,” he
said.
He made the remarks on Wednesday
evening during a live social media session with Kisauni residents. His
sentiments follow claims by Shanzu MCA Allen Katana, who last week accused
senior politicians in Mombasa of grabbing several parcels of land in his ward.
Katana alleged that some of the
grabbed land had been developed, including the construction of petrol stations,
and vowed to move to court. “One of them grabbed two pieces of land in Kisauni
and they built a petrol station on one piece. I am going to court to have the
petrol station pulled down and we will instead put up a nursery school there,”
Katana said during a public meeting in Shanzu.
Bashatir urged caution, stressing
that leaders must back their statements with tangible evidence. “As a leader,
it is impressive that you speak to defend your people. But at whose expense are
you defending them? Are you speaking facts with evidence or just political
rhetoric?” he said.
He added that MCAs were better
placed to tackle the land issue within formal county structures rather than at
political rallies. “As an MCA, have you tabled a motion on land issues in
Mombasa so as to come up with amicable solutions from the county assembly?”
He warned that dragging names into
unverified claims could damage reputations of respected figures in Mombasa and
beyond. “Hearsay can be detrimental. It is true that we have land problems in
Kisauni and Mombasa as a whole, but we have to be careful how we try to solve
these problems,” he said.
Kadzandani MCA Fatma Kushe also
weighed in, saying the land issue in Mombasa has historically led to conflict.
She noted that many parcels in Kadzandani still lack title deeds, leaving
residents vulnerable.
“For how long will we the people of
Kadzandani, Nyali and Mombasa be squatters on our own lands?”
Kushe reminded residents that the
county assembly passed the Ardhi Fund to help settle squatters by buying
disputed land from controversial owners. “We need to start seeing the fund
work,” she said.
