Members of the Cushite community in Mombasa County on Sunday crowned their new Chairman, Ali Sheikh.
The inauguration ceremony brought together community members to celebrate leadership, unity, and the spirit of togetherness and to chart the community’s political direction ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The event was graced by the Mombasa County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Tourism, Culture, and Trade, Mohamed Osman, and doubled as a platform for community leaders to call on members to abandon fragmented political engagement and unite behind a common agenda.
They warned against politicians who make promises during campaigns, only to vanish once the polls are over.
Speaking after being crowned, Chairman Ali Sheikh said the community’s political journey this time round would be different from the past, built on unity, dignity, and a clear sense of purpose rather than empty pledges.
“We will not be the community that is only spoken to during campaigns and forgotten the moment elections end. From today, my resolve is to lead a community that is peaceful yet has a voice, respectful yet self-aware, and cooperative yet conscious of its worth and expectations,” Sheikh said.
He said the Cushite community no longer wants to be mere spectators in Mombasa’s politics and development but full participants, building bridges between government and citizens, youth and opportunity, and business and growth.
Sheikh added that the community was targeting at least three Ward Representative seats in Mombasa and wants to be consulted from the planning stage of political decisions, working closely with the Council of Elders and sub-county leaders, to ensure votes are cast meaningfully rather than wastefully.
CECM Osman said the Cushite of 2027 is not the Cushite of 2013, noting that the community’s political journey began over a decade ago and cannot be claimed by newcomers seeking votes at the last minute.
“You cannot show up one year to an election and expect to tell our mothers and our youth that you want to do something for them. We are telling those who have just come forward, now seeking votes, to know that this is a journey the Cushite began back in 2013,” Osman said.
He said seven communities are together under the Council of Cushite Elders, which will guide the community’s direction toward the 2027 polls.
Mombasa County Woman Representative Zamzam Mohamed lauded the community for standing firmly behind its new leadership, saying their voices deserved to be heard at the highest levels of government.
She promised to organize a dedicated empowerment harambee for the Cushite community and to personally raise the community’s concerns with President William Ruto, whom he credited with ending the harassment Muslims once faced over identification documents and unfounded terrorism links.
“Let us not let go of President William Samoei Ruto’s hand. He is the one who has held all of us Muslims in Kenya close. Today we walk with our heads high; there is no more talk of Al-Shabaab, and today we can do our business freely,” Zamzam said.
By Ramadhan Nassib
