A section of Mijikenda elders in Mombasa has accused Coastal political leaders of using their community to try and sow discord between them and other tribes working at the Mombasa port.
Led by Patrick Mangale, the elders, drawn from all the six sub-counties in Mombasa county, said there are false reports that the Mijikenda community is unhappy with the Kenya Ports Authority managing director Captain William Ruto and wants him out.
“This is not true and our community should not be used by a few individuals who are after their own selfish interests,” Mangale said.
The elders spoke at the Red Brick Hotel after a five-hour meeting to deliberate on the matter.
Mangale said Captain Ruto is the first MD to embrace the Mijikenda community at the port like normal people are there on merit.
Mangale said it is sad that the falsehoods are spread by Mijikenda politicians who want to intimidate the KPA boss.
“The political leaders from our community are trying to whip up emotions in the pretext of fighting for the community but in real sense, they want to be given certain positions so that they can install their own friends and not the Mijikenda community,” said Mangale.
The elders said they are firmly in support of Captain Ruto as the MD, who they said has already started turning around the performance of the Mombasa port.
“Let us stop politicking using other people’s names,” he said.
Ali Abdalla Bege, from the Likoni sub-county, said there is no discord between members of the Mijikenda community and any other community at the port and that they have been working together in harmony.
He said no area has ever developed without the input of non-natives.
“It is these people who come to visit that give ideas that may have been overlooked by the natives that are more beneficial,” said Bege.
He said Captain Ruto has been the most open MD at the port in his 40 years of service at the Mombasa port.
He said there are leaders who fear that the straightforwardness of Captain Ruto will block their deals and are now trying to sow discord among the different communities working in the port so as to create chaos.
“Let us not allow these people to divide us as Mombasa people,” Bege said.
The elders called for the unity of the community, which he said will give them better bargaining power than depending on a few political leaders who always have their own personal interests first.
“These are the people you might think are for us, only to find out they are against us and for their own selfish interests,” Bege said.
Ramadhan Beja, who represented the Mijikenda youth, called on political leaders to work with Captain Ruto and KPA chairman Benjamin Tayari.
Beja said only cooperation will ensure Coastal youth, not only those from the Mijikenda community, benefit from the port.
He said the Mombasa port is a national asset and does not belong to any individual or community.
“The Mombasa port is a public asset and any Kenyan can work there,” Beja said.