Leaders of the Cushite community in Mombasa County have rallied their members to unite behind President William Ruto’s re-election bid, citing the ongoing road projects in North Eastern region, the abolition of vetting for national identity cards and inclusivity in government.
The community has also embarked on a voter registration drive to increase its numbers, ahead of the 2027 General Election, with plans to field at least five candidates for Member of County Assembly (MCA) positions in Mombasa.
To strengthen their chances, the leaders are seeking to foster unity and establish a common voice on issues affecting residents including access to government services, employment and political representation.
On Sunday, the community will hold a mega engagement with Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale to drum up support for President Ruto and advocate for greater unity among Cushites.
The community leader, Mohamed Dahir said the meeting would provide an opportunity to highlight social, economic, political and financial issues affecting the community, including healthcare, education, employment, business opportunities, access to finance, youth and women’s empowerment, representation and equitable access to government programmes.
Dahir urged members of the community living and working in Mombasa to participate in civic and political affairs, where they reside rather than travelling to other counties during elections.
“We also have a message to our community: where you live, work, raise your family and depend on public services matters. Equally, we urge political leaders from other counties to respect the democratic choices of Cushites who are permanent residents of Mombasa,” said Dahir.
He added: “Our people should not be mobilized to travel back and forth merely for electoral purposes. Let every eligible Cushite register where they lawfully reside, participate peacefully and make their own informed choice about the leadership of their home county and country. This is about unity, dignity, participation and being heard.”
The community leaders are also involved in voter registration sensitisation and efforts to improve access to identification documents, working with relevant government agencies to reach residents at the grassroots.
The Association chairman Ali Sheikh Adan said the community had experienced improvements in access to passports and national identification services compared to previous years, following a well-coordinated working relationship between the community and Mombasa County leadership.
“Access to passports has become easier than it was in the past. We have been involved in ID sensitisation and mobilization. The process of obtaining identification documents for our people has been fast-tracked,” said Ali.
He added: “We have conducted voter registration sensitisation and worked closely with the IEBC to ensure that our people at the grassroots level were involved.”
Ali said the community appreciated the attention it had received from the Mombasa County leadership and wanted to maintain a constructive relationship with leaders addressing its concerns.
“We are satisfied with the Mombasa County leadership because it has remembered the Cushite community,” he said.
The gathering will bring together the Cushite Community Association, the Council of Cushite Elders and representatives from each of Mombasa’s six sub-counties.
The meeting will provide a platform for discussions on healthcare, education, employment, business opportunities, access to finance, youth and women’s empowerment, representation and equitable access to government programmes.
The meeting comes, even as the community seeks to coordinate its leadership structures and strengthen cooperation among Cushites living in different parts of the county.
Cushite community spokesperson Shukri Osman said the gathering would provide an opportunity for residents to come together and discuss issues affecting them.
“We welcome the Health Cabinet Secretary as a united Cushite community,” Shukri said.
By Sadik Hassan
