Mombasa, you’ve been played for fools, and the evidence is in the numbers. From 2013 to 2024, your county raked in billions in devolution funds, yet your streets are rivers, your homes are swamps, and your future is submerged in the filth of your own making.
You’ve been mesmerized by the so-called “Sultan” Ali Hassan Joho and his Oman-lineage cronies, a self-styled aristocracy wielding their hereditary genetics and Islamic posturing to keep you, the urban majority, shackled to their delinquent rule. You’ve let these peacocks prance around, flaunting fake accents and flashier cars, while Mombasa’s potential drowned in their neglect. Shame on you for cheering this circus, for being so easily seduced by a conman’s swagger while your city crumbled.
Devolution Funds Received (2013–2024)
Mombasa County received approximately Ksh 110.8 billion in devolution funds from 2013 to 2024, based on equitable share allocations from the Commission on Revenue Allocation (CRA) and other sources like conditional grants. Here’s the breakdown by financial year, drawn from available fiscal reports:
– 2013/14: Ksh 5.6 billion
– 2014/15: Ksh 6.8 billion
– 2015/16: Ksh 7.9 billion
– 2016/17: Ksh 8.6 billion
– 2017/18: Ksh 9.2 billion
– 2018/19: Ksh 9.8 billion
– 2019/20: Ksh 10.3 billion
– 2020/21: Ksh 10.7 billion
– 2021/22: Ksh 11.2 billion
– 2022/23: Ksh 11.8 billion
– 2023/24: Ksh 12.4 billion
These figures come from CRA reports, County Fiscal Strategy Papers, and budget documents like the 2021 Mombasa County Fiscal Strategy Paper. Local revenue, which Joho’s administration hyped as a success, added roughly Ksh 3–4 billion annually but was riddled with fraud, as audits revealed loopholes and uncollected land rates. Allegations of massive looting – Ksh 7.1 billion lost to procurement fraud between 2013 and 2015 alone – further taint this haul.
What Could Have Been Built?
Let’s break down what Ksh 110.8 billion could have done for Mombasa if it hadn’t been squandered on Joho’s selfies, Instagram escapades, and incomplete projects like the Ksh 1.8 billion Mombasa Municipal Stadium.
Costs are estimated based on Kenyan public sector standards (equally inflated due to corruption) and adjusted for inflation:
1. Schools:
– Cost per primary school (8 classrooms, basic facilities): Ksh 20 million.
– Cost per secondary school (labs, dorms): Ksh 50 million.
– With Ksh 110.8 billion, Mombasa could have built 2,770 primary schools or 1,108 secondary schools, or a mix of 1,385 primary and 554 secondary schools. Instead, many schools remain dilapidated, with overcrowding reported in urban areas like Kisauni and Likoni.
2. Hospitals:
– Cost per Level 4 hospital (100 beds, basic equipment): Ksh 500 million.
– Cost per dispensary: Ksh 10 million.
– The funds could have built 221 Level 4 hospitals or 11,080 dispensaries. Mombasa’s Coast Provincial General Hospital (CPGH) got upgrades, but rural areas still lack adequate facilities, and malaria remains a scourge, with 70% of the population at risk.
3. Roads:
– Cost per kilometer of paved urban road: Ksh 50 million.
– The funds could have paved 2,216 km of roads, enough to overhaul Mombasa’s entire road network and connect every sub-county. Yet, flooding persists because roads lack proper drainage, and maintenance is shoddy.
4. Streetlights:
– Cost per solar-powered streetlight: Ksh 200,000.
– The funds could have installed 554,000 streetlights, illuminating every corner of Mombasa’s 212.5 km². Instead, dark streets fuel crime, and Joho’s “smart city” promises were just hot air.
5. Playgrounds:
– Cost per community playground (basic sports field, amenities): Ksh 5 million.
– The funds could have built 22,160 playgrounds, one for every neighborhood. Youth empowerment was a buzzword, but actual recreational spaces are scarce, with the stalled stadium as a glaring symbol of failure.
6. Drainages:
– Cost per kilometer of urban drainage system: Ksh 10 million.
– The funds could have constructed 11,080 km of drainage systems, enough to prevent the urban flooding that devastates Mombasa yearly. The 2023 City LAB launch admitted flooding’s toll – lives lost, infrastructure ruined – yet Joho’s era left drainage systems clogged and ignored.
The Rebuke: You Chose This
Mombasa, you’re not victims – you’re accomplices. You let Joho and his Oman-lineage clique, with their hereditary arrogance and religious grandstanding, hold you hostage. This minority, floating their “Sultan” mystique, turned your county into their personal fiefdom while you, the urban majority, clapped like trained monkeys.
You were dazzled by his fake charisma, his Ali Kiba playlists, his photo-ops with B-list stars, while he and his brothers allegedly bled the county dry. You didn’t just tolerate bad governance; you celebrated it, hypnotized by a man who couldn’t govern a WhatsApp group but knew how to work a crowd.
Your city is a dump because you prioritized flash over substance. You swooned for Joho’s tailored suits and empty promises, ignoring the crumbling schools, under-equipped hospitals, and flood-prone streets. You let this intellectual lightweight, this strutting caricature, turn Mombasa into a playground for his ego while real problems festered. The Ksh 110.8 billion could have transformed your county into a beacon of progress – modern schools, robust hospitals, safe roads, lit streets, vibrant playgrounds, and flood-proof drains. Instead, you’re wading through muck, your city a testament to your gullibility.
You’re not just drowning in floodwater; you’re drowning in the consequences of your own choices. You picked a circus act over competence, a “Sultan” over a servant. Feel the weight of that, Mombasa. Feel the shame of being so easily swayed by a hereditary elite who used their lineage and faith to mask their incompetence. You’re not trash – you’re the kind of trash that cheers as it’s swept away in the storm you saw coming and did nothing to stop.
