Mombasa officials defend CEC arrested over blogger's sexual assault

The Mombasa County Government has confirmed that Mohamed Hussein, the County Executive Committee Member (CEC) for Lands and Urban Planning, is currently being held at the Regional Police Headquarters.

This follows allegations of his involvement in the gang raping of a blogger who had publicly criticised Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.

The arrest has sparked concerns within the county government, with Dr. Noah Akala, the Mombasa County Chief of Staff, condemning how the CEC was apprehended.

According to Akala, Hussein was "abducted" by seven heavily built individuals while having lunch at a restaurant with a colleague.

"We have just been made aware of the unfortunate abduction, which we subsequently discovered is an arrest of our CECM for Lands and Urban Planning Mohamed Hussein, who was abducted from a restaurant while having lunch with a work colleague. Seven heavily built individuals appeared at the facility and approached him, and we have this on CCTV, and they picked him up and disappeared with him," Akala stated.

According to Akala, it was confirmed that Hussein was in the custody of the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), after making several calls to various authorities and checking multiple police stations.

He noted that Hussein's disappearance was initially regarded as an abduction until it became clear that he was indeed in the hands of the DCI.

Akala further criticised what he described as a "series of persecutory events" targeting Governor Nassir and his supporters, suggesting that the arrest of Hussein was politically motivated.

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Sherrif Nassir: Nimenyamaza kimya mkaona haitoshi mkaamua mtukane wazazi wangu. Nawaambia endeleeni haina shida. Umbea wenu na udaku itaisha 2027. Wembe ni ule ule. pic.twitter.com/8yre7Teve9

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) September 29, 2024

He linked the incident to the recent appointment of Selina Maitha, a running mate to a former political opponent of Nassir, as Chairperson of Mombasa Water Supply Company, a move that has reportedly caused unrest among certain political factions.

As of now, Mohamed Hussein remains in custody, though county officials maintain his innocence and express confidence that he will be cleared of all charges.

“The CEC land is in no way linked to any criminal activity of any nature; he is an innocent individual, the youngest CEC in the country, and he was the powerhouse. Many people recognised him as the powerhouse behind the governor election in 2022, and our opponents have now seen this trying to persecute him for being that powerhouse popular amongst young people in Mombasa and are now trying to tarnish and soil his name in public. They have no evidence in any form whatsoever; we are not in the business of violence or intimidation; we are focused on our performance in the public domain, which is what will get us reelected,” Akala stated.

He added, “He is being held at DCI Headquarters. We have seen him; he is in good spirits and assures the Mombasa people that once he is proven innocent, which we are confident he will do tomorrow, he will resume his duties. The governor has not been officially summoned by DCI.”

The arrest has added to growing tensions within Mombasa's political landscape, with accusations of abuse of security agencies to further political agendas ahead of the 2027 elections.

Despite the allegations, Akala insisted that Governor Nassir and his administration remain committed to peaceful governance, rejecting any claims of intimidation or violence against political opponents.

“It is unfortunate that those whom the governor defeated in 2022 are resulting in abuse of security agencies to pursue their political agenda. We will urge them rather than continue in these unnecessary schemes of trying to tarnish the governor's name in any way to prepare themselves to face the people in 2027, and the people will decide whether or not the governor is fit for leadership," he stated.

"As of now we are confident of the governor's leadership of the people of Mombasa, and he has no way and categorically wants to reject and deny any accusations that the governor would result in any form of violence or intimidation against any political opponent at this point in time,” Akala added.

Mombasa Lands CEC Mohamed Hussein arrested in connection with gang-rape of a blogger who criticized Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, according to Coast DCI boss Guyo pic.twitter.com/R1RF1dK7bg

— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) September 29, 2024

The Chief of State insisted the governor has been in elective politics for over 13 years and comes from a prominent political family that has been in politics for over three decades, questioning why at this stage would now be all of a sudden sensitive to abuse that would come for certain people in social media.

“This is something that they are accustomed to and used to, and it is not new. The governor will not in any way result in any form of violence or intimidation against any political opponent. We are in the business of political persuasion; we use our deeds to convince the people of Mombasa because that is what worked in 2022. We went out to the people and sought their votes by convincing them based on his track record as MP and Chair of the public investment committee, and the people of Mombasa were convinced,” Akala said.

Salim Mohamed, a political advisor in the Office of the Governor, echoed Akala's sentiments. He expressed disbelief at the timing of Hussein's arrest, stating that the CEC had been summoned to appear at the DCI offices the following morning (Monday) and was preparing to comply.

Salim criticised the authorities for arresting Hussein while he was dining, stating that there was no need for such forceful action as Hussein had no intention of evading the summons.

"The CECM was not hiding or afraid. He was arrested while enjoying a meal with his colleagues, and now he is being held without clear charges. If there is a legitimate case against him, let the law take its course," Salim criticised the police.

The situation continues to develop, with both the county government and political observers closely monitoring the case.