Aspirant for the Mombasa Women Representative seat, Fatma Barayan, has pledged to prioritize economic empowerment for women and youth traders if elected.
She promised fair distribution of the National Government Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) and an end to the harassment of informal traders operating along the county’s streets.
Speaking during a voter sensitisation forum at Mkomani Show Ground in Nyali Sub-county, Barayan said her leadership would focus on uplifting women and youth in the informal business sector, which she said accounts for a significant share of livelihoods in Mombasa.
“32 per cent of women and youth here in Mombasa are in informal businesses. These women and this community need to continue being empowered,” Barayan said.
She said her office would also support skills development for residents working in trades such as farming, plumbing, and electrical work, noting that a majority of women and youth in the county are engaged in such vocations.
“85 per cent of our mothers and youth are in various sectors of trade, farming, education, plumbing, and electrical work. I am ready to uplift them,” she said.
On gender-based violence, Barayan promised to establish GBV centers across Mombasa West, North, and South constituencies to support survivors, combining psychosocial support with income-generating skills training in areas such as tailoring and farming.
She also pledged to prioritize equitable distribution of bursary funds through the Women Representative’s office, saying access to education should not be determined by a family’s economic status.
“A child from a poor family should get the same opportunity as a child from a wealthy family,” she said.
Barayan further promised to champion legislation at both the national and county levels to ease licensing requirements for youth-led start-up businesses, proposing waivers of between six months and one year to allow young entrepreneurs to establish themselves before facing full regulatory obligations.
The aspirant used the platform to rally support for the candidacy for Mombasa Governor, Hassan Omar Hassan, linking his candidacy to ongoing national government development programmes, including the Hustler Fund, Affordable Housing, Universal Health coverage and labour mobility, opportunities that she said have benefited youth in the county.
She took a swipe at rival campaign promises of direct cash handouts to women, arguing that sustainable empowerment required structural investment rather than one-off payments, citing gaps in maternal healthcare services at Makadara Hospital as an example of the infrastructure challenges facing the county.
Barayan, who previously served as the runner-up in the 2022 Women Representative race, urged residents to back her bid alongside Hassan Omar’s gubernatorial campaign in the 2027 General Election.
She called for continued investment in grassroots economic development.
“Our women and youth deserve an economy that grows with them, through skills, trade, and fair opportunity,” Barayan said.
By Phellogloria Adhiambo
