Nyali MP Mohammed Ali Demands IEBC Probe After Voter Awareness Billboards Removed in Mombasa
Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali during a past political rally. Photo/Courtesy
By Ruth Sang
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission should investigate the removal of voter registration billboards in Mombasa according to Nyali MP Mohammed Ali.
Ali accused Mombasa County Government of blocking public participation because they removed three voter awareness billboards which had been installed on April 6. The billboards had been erected in Buxton, Ferry, and Kibarani.
The legislator stated that the advertisements were legally installed through licensed vendors yet they were removed after advertising operators received threats.
“These billboards were located in Buxton, Ferry, and Kibarani,” Ali said, adding that he had also received reports of “similar threats targeting operators of digital screens, warning them against airing an animated version of the same message.”
Ali charged that the county administration led by Governor **Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir** pressured to have the billboards removed from public view.
The billboards displayed the message “Utawala Bora sio zawadi. Ni haki yako. Chukua kura tujikomboe.” The MP insisted the message contained purely civic content which served to motivate people to vote.
“This is a civic message encouraging voter registration—nothing more, nothing less,” he stated.
He identified the incident as both power abuse and constitutional rights violation which damaged regional efforts to increase voter knowledge.
“The pulling down of billboards with such civic messaging is an outright abuse of power and the suppression of civic space,” Ali said, adding that the move contravenes Article 33 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.
The MP alleged that the actions functioned as a campaign to decrease voter participation in the coastal region through business intimidation.
“For so long, Mombasa has been run by people who assume that the whole county is their family affair, dictating how private entities operate and how the common mwananchi lives,” he added.
Ali described the case as a major problem for democracy because the debate extended beyond the physical billboards.
“As a matter of fact, their real issue is not the billboard. It is the message,” he said, noting that the campaign seeks to remind citizens that leadership is a right, not a privilege.
The IEBC should take immediate steps according to him.
“We call on the IEBC to urgently investigate and intervene in this matter,” Ali said.
The legislator urged Mombasa citizens to stay alert while they should take part in the upcoming elections.
“This is not about one candidate—it is about your right to choose leadership freely,” he concluded.
About Author
