Changamwe resident want giant corporations in the area to give back to the community

Ismail Abdullahi Abdille says Changmwe needs better representation at the Mombasa County Assembly. Photo/ COURTESY

MOMBASA—Changamwe area of Mombasa County needs special attention from both levels of governments and creation of job and opportunity for the youths in the ward, Ismail Abdullahi, Changmwe resident and Ward hopeful said.

Comparing the area with other parts of Mombasa, Mr Ismail noted that the situation Changmwe residents live in is “horrible”, adding that the ward representative was absent from the area most of the time.

“Changamwe literally hosts Mombasa because this is where Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Pipeline, Kenya Railways, most of clearance and forwarding firms and other economic giants have their headquarters at.

“Despite it all, the people of Changamwe can be said are the poorest in the city,” he said.

He said the the current ward representative has not addressed a number of critical issues touching the residents. Among them, he noted, is the provision of clean water and demand for total implementation of corporate social responsibilities on the giant corporation.

“I have been doing my own homework the past one year where I found out that the corporation were not living up to their CSRs and residents are unaware of what these corporations owe them,” he said.

He blasted the serving MCA as a “failure”, saying he was not a “people elected, but a beneficiary of party wave.”

“As an area resident with family and business here, I understands the problems much more than anyone else,” he argued.

Graduated with BA in Commerce from the University of Nairobi, Ismail is currently an accountant at the Mombasa High Court.

He said on several occasions, he helped orgernise for cheaper legal representation from organizations and civil society groups that offer free and subsidized legal services.

“As a human being, sometimes you will be compelled to chip in when you find youths that are on the verge of serving months in jail because of paltry sh 1000 or less for petty offenses,” Ismail recounted.

He continued,” This youths are mostly in such situations because they lack opportunity in a area where opportunities are not in short supply.

“We have to help them set up small businesses, negotiate for employment form the corporations and generally uplift the face of Changamwe.”

Ismail called on the Ward residents to rethink their decision and elect representatives that understand the technicalities of leadership and public representation.