A team of senior Coast leaders have called on area residents to build a united, strategic partnership with the national government, arguing that the shift is the only path to unlocking equitable development for the region.
Speaking during a high-profile political gathering in Likoni, Mombasa, Cabinet Secretaries, the Mombasa Governor and several elected leaders said the Coast had for decades voted against the government of the day, only to be left out of key development plans.
Cabinet Secretary for Youth Affairs, Creative Economy and Sports Salim Mvurya, told residents that despite overwhelming support for the opposition in past elections, including for the late Raila Odinga in 2022, the region routinely found itself locked out of key resource allocation.
Mvurya said the six coastal governors had recently met and agreed to pursue a grassroots-driven realignment with President William Ruto’s administration to safeguard the interests of Mombasa, Kwale, Lamu, Kilifi, Tana River and Taita Taveta counties.
He said the residents of Kwale and Mombasa have embraced the vision of a unified region and a consolidated regional voting bloc, driven by the pursuit of the shared prosperity that has eluded the region for decades.
“As leaders, we highlighted the President’s proven development record, urging residents not to be swayed by divisive politics that have, for far too long, hindered the progress and prosperity the Coastal people deserve,” he said.
Cabinet Secretary for Mining, Blue Economy and Maritime Affairs Hassan Joho urged residents not to gamble with their future, warning that a single wrong electoral decision could set back an entire generation.
Joho defended the Kenya Kwanza administration’s record on regional equity, saying development was now being shared fairly across the country.
“For the very first time, if they build a stadium in Baringo, one is also built in Kwale. If they take roads over there, they come here too,” Joho said.
He listed a raft of investments in the Coast’s maritime and agricultural sectors, among them Sh3.3 billion channeled to fishermen and women’s groups, Sh2.7 billion for the Shimoni Port project in Kwale, Sh1.8 billion for a Maritime Training Institute, and Sh16.6 billion recently approved for Mombasa water infrastructure.
Joho said residents should back Ruto’s second term bid saying the national government was delivering solutions to the region’s challenges.
CS’s Mvurya and Joho who are past two-term governors of Kwale and Mombasa respectively said policy continuity was critical to sustaining economic reforms, improving security and delivering long-term prosperity.
They said the Kenya Kwanza government should be voted back into office in the 2027 general elections based on its performance since 2022 general polls adding that the opposition has nothing to offer Kenyans other than political rhetoric.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir said the county was working closely with the national government, citing the formal compensation of Community Health Workers and expanded access to free treatment under the Social Health Authority (SHA).
Nassir said plans were underway to complete a Level Four maternity hospital in Likoni to spare residents the ferry crossing during emergencies.
Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs, Fikirini Jacob, said past regimes had rarely appointed more than one Cabinet Minister from the Coast, but the current administration had brought multiple coastal leaders directly into government.
He said this had created an internal bloc through which leaders such as CS Mvurya and his colleague Joho could jointly push for regional projects, transforming the Coast from a passive follower into an active partner in governance.
On youth and labour matters, PS Jacob said the “Nyota” project had extended business grants and vocational training to 820,000 young people without formal academic credentials, while the deregistration of 1,000 fraudulent recruitment agencies had made it safer for over 541,000 Kenyans to work abroad, helping push diaspora remittances from Sh5.2 billion to Sh6.5 billion annually.
Kwale Women Representative Fatuma Masito and Likoni Member of Parliament Mishi Mboko called for residents to register for National IDs and build a strong voter base ahead of future elections.
“Tomorrow’s journey is planned today,” Masito said.
By Ramadhan Nassib
