Mombasa, Kenya—Mombasa Senator Miraj Abdillah has condemned the violence and intimidation reported at the Mombasa County Assembly, where young people and human rights defenders had gathered to present a memorandum on issues affecting the city’s youth.
In a statement issued on International Youth Day, Miraj said citizens who had gone to the Assembly to exercise their constitutional right to peaceful assembly and petition were instead met with hostility and intimidation.
She also raised concern over what she described as a disturbing presence of firearms around the Assembly premises.
The Senator said she was particularly concerned by the reported manhandling of She Rises, CEO Salma Hemed during the incident, arguing that women, young people and human rights defenders should not face violence for speaking out on issues affecting their communities.
“These were citizens exercising their constitutional right to peacefully assemble, speak and demand accountability,” Miraj said.
She questioned the circumstances surrounding the youths who were allegedly armed during the confrontation and called for answers on who organised or mobilised them against fellow young people.
“Where did the youths with arms come from? Who sent them? Who is organising the youths against one another?” she posed.
The Senator’s statement came amid reports of clashes involving young people in Mombasa, including at the County Assembly, as well as reports of gunshots in Likoni. She said authorities should provide a clear account of the incidents.
Miraj called on security agencies to protect peaceful civic engagement and ensure that citizens exercising their constitutional rights can do so without fear, particularly where civil society organisations have obtained the necessary approvals for peaceful activities.
She also urged young people not to allow themselves to be used to fight one another for the interests of political actors, saying their focus should instead be on opportunities, employment, dignity and a better future.
The Senator warned that the incidents should raise concern as Kenya moves closer to the 2027 General Election, questioning whether political intolerance, intimidation and violence should become part of the country’s political culture.
“Mombasa deserves better. Kenya deserves better,” she said, calling for disagreements to be handled without violence and political competition without hatred.
The developments come after youth seeking to present a memorandum on the need for a Mombasa County Youth Policy reportedly encountered violence at the Assembly premises, with several people sustaining injuries.
