Stereotypically, his life would have ended up like many of his peers–drug abuse, gang violence, violent extremism and radicalisation.
Mohamed Hussein, alias Amadow, was born in 1991 and raised in Majengo, Mvita constituency, a notorious centre of indoctrination that was thrust into the radar of global security organs due to the fiery teachings of Sheikh Aboud Rogo (deceased).
Majengo hosts Masjid Musa which, in 2012, was the focus of the world’s intelligence network because it was Sheikh Rogo’s mecca of radicalisation.
And the fact that Hussein was raised in a single parent family set-up, made him suitable target of Rogo’s teachings.
In 2012, Hussein was only 21, fresh from university, with no job, but with ICT skills, a perfect combination for al Shabaab recruiters at the time.
“Growing up, I had many friends in an area where theft, violence, bhang smoking, hard drug abuse and many other vices were the order of the day,” he says.
“But seeing my mother struggle to get food and pay my school fees motivated me to work hard to make myself someone great.”
He slept hungry on many occasions and had to be kicked out of school due to lack of fees, and he vowed to work hard to help his mother and grandmother.
“I deferred some semesters in university because I lacked fees,” Hussein says.
While at Kaloleni Primary School and Likoni Secondary School, he would wash cars, and help his mother make and sell juice and fried potatoes, to raise money for food and fees.
He is lucky his mother taught him not to be tempted or swayed by peer pressure. He found solace in sports.
He used to take part in football, swimming and boxing.
“After school, I would rush home, change into my sporting gear and run to the football pitch, the beach or a boxing ring, depending on my schedule that day,” Hussein says.
Of all the three sports, he fell in love with boxing and swimming the most.
“Today, I start my day with prayers at 5.30am before hitting the ring for boxing sessions for about an hour, then I head to the office,” he says.
His boxing is for fun and keeping fit.
Sometimes he takes an early morning dip before heading to the office.
He fell in love with boxing because it was the most challenging of all the sports options he took part in.
“I like challenging things. For swimming and football, I realised I wasn’t getting as tired as I did after boxing. Only boxing made me so tired at the end that I could not do anything else apart from sleeping. I decided that was the sport for me,” he says.
The obstacle was his mum. She never wanted him anywhere near a boxing ring. Her “little boy” was too precious to be hurt by heavy blows from people bigger older bullies.
But boys will always be boys. He used to sneak out and head to the boxing ring, this time not the one his mum knew.
Coach Mtone from Frere Town was his mentor, encouraging him not to quit despite the pressure.
“Boxing not only keeps me physically fit but also mentally fit to tackle the day’s challenges. I do a lot of sports, but boxing is the main one,” he says.
On weekends, he likes swimming at Madhubaa Beach in early morning, where he socialises with people to keep in touch with what is happening on the ground.
“On weekdays, should I leave the office early, I go to the swimming pool,” he says.
He did his diploma in IT at Mt Kenya University before pursuing a degree course in the same field at Moi University.
When he completed his university course, he ventured into freelance IT solution work.
This is how he was noticed by Abdulswamad Nassir, then Mvita MP.
“I used to be called frequently to his NG-CDF offices to sort out IT issues. I did not notice that the MP was most of the times in the office when I went,” Hussein said.
“One day he called me and started asking me questions as if he was trying to extract particular information from me.”
Then the MP asked the question most jobseekers love to hear.
“Would you like to come work for me?”
Hussein was elated and grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
That was in 2014.
“Working for a politician wasn’t easy for me because I had never been in politics. But I was the breadwinner at home so I had to take the opportunity and had to adapt to the political life,” he says.
He worked as Nassir’s personal assistant for 10 years until 2022, when he (Nassir) became governor and appointed him as the county lands, housing and urban planning executive.
He never expected the appointment but he had always strived to do better each day.
“I had no specific thing in mind but I knew I was going to become someone big,” he says.
Hussein says being relatively young was a plus for him because Nassir likes working with young energetic people.
He worked hard to convince the youth to vote for Nassir in the 2022 campaigns. “He is a leader who believes in the youth and nurtures their talents. I am where I am today because of him. He mentored me,” Hussein says.
Coincidentally, Nassir also likes boxing and the two are sometimes seen sparring at the gym.
“It is nothing serious. We just do it for fun. I won’t say who beats the other in our friendly sparring,” Hussein says.
Being in the public service comes with its fair share of negativity.
But the 33-year-old says he has learnt to take the positives and leave out the negatives.
“One thing I have learnt about being in the limelight is there will always be haters and naysayers. If you concentrate on them, you will never move forward,” he says.
“As long as you are doing the right thing and benefiting the people you serve, the small group of haters and naysayers do not matter. Keep moving forward.”
Sometimes the job comes with its share of frustrations.
“There are long hours in office and in meetings. The social life is not as it used to be and you have to put up with constant calls,” he says.
Some of his friends do not realise his status has changed and expect him to be as available as before.
They accuse him of snubbing them, not realising how intense the pressure on him to deliver to the more than 1.5 million people in the county is.
“Being a family man, I sometimes struggle to find time for my own children. That is how busy I can get,” he says.
But he is thankful he has an understanding family.
Land is an emotive subject in Mombasa county just as it is across the whole Coast region.
It involves tycoons, and senior government officers and politicians in Mombasa have paid the ultimate price for stepping on the toes of powerful faceless people.
But Hussein says he is yet to face any threats or be threatened by anyone.
“I know land has a lot of emotions and bad things, especially in Mombasa. But since the Abdulswamad Nassir administration took over in 2022, we have tried to reduce the number of squatters in Mombasa,” he says.
The county government has issued more than 1,000 title deeds and more are on the way, he says.
“It is not easy to solve the land question as quickly as one wishes, but we are determined and focused to succeed,” he says.
The lands executive position has helped him discover things about himself that he never knew.
Hussein now looks forwards to solving problems for people he does not even know.
“I do not see this position as a burden. I find it interesting because I didn’t know I had a passion for helping people. This is something that challenges me and I like challenges.
“Whenever there is a problem, I am determined to solve it,” he says.
He brushes aside the notion that he is a powerful CEC.
“I doubt there is something like a powerful CEC. We are all equal and report to the same boss. Not everything is about Amadow. Everyone has his duties to perform. The only thing is that I am super loyal to my boss,” he says.
On Tudor estate, where residents protested saying they are about to be evicted and their houses demolished, Hussein says no eviction notice has been issued.
“People like lighting fires. They come up with things that are not there. There is still a long process to be followed and residents need not worry,” he says.
He says such are normal challenges that a leader must go through.