Nyali MP Mohamed Ali has accused individuals linked to the Mombasa County Government of orchestrating the removal of billboards carrying a civic message encouraging voter registration.
In a statement released on April 7, Ali said three outdoor billboards he had procured through Magnate Ventures and other licensed vendors were “forcibly pulled down” on the night of April 6. The billboards had been installed in Buxton, Ferry, and Kibarani.
“Three outdoor billboards carrying a civic message encouraging voter registration that I lawfully procured through Magnate Ventures and other licensed vendors, were forcibly pulled down following intimidation and threats directed at advertising operators,” Ali said.
He further claimed that operators of digital screens across the county had been warned against airing an animated version of the same message. “I have further been informed that similar threats have been extended to operators of digital screens across the County, warning them against airing an animated version of the same message.”
Ali alleged that the pressure on vendors was linked to the county administration led by Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir. “Vendors have pointed to pressure emanating from within the County Government,” he said.
The civic message on the billboards read, “Utawala Bora sio zawadi. Ni haki yako. Chukua kura tujikomboe”—translated as, “Good governance is not a gift. It is your right. Register. Liberate ourselves.” Ali emphasized that the content was not political, partisan, or unlawful. “This is a civic message encouraging voter registration—nothing more, nothing less,” he said.
Describing the incident as an attack on civic space, Ali said, “The pulling down of billboards with such civic messaging is an outright abuse of power and the suppression of civic space,” adding that it violated Article 33 of the Constitution, undermined voter awareness efforts, and intimidated legitimate advertising businesses.
Ali also criticized entrenched political control in Mombasa. “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. The county has been milked dry at the expense of Mombasa people.”
He insisted the real issue was the message, not the billboards. “As a matter of fact, their real issue is not the billboard. It is the message,” he said.
Ali called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to intervene. “I hereby call upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to urgently investigate and intervene in what is clearly interference with legitimate voter registration awareness efforts,” he said, urging residents to remain alert.
