By Boniface Mwangi
Mombasa County, like many others in Kenya, is burdened with the harsh realities of corruption, mismanagement, and inefficiency in the handling of public resources.
As part of my extensive review of the county’s finances, focusing on the fiscal years from 2018-2019 to 2022-2023, I have uncovered alarming figures that paint a grim picture of how public money is wasted, misappropriated, and often outright stolen.
It is essential to note that all the information I present is publicly available. The harsh truth, however, is that despite these revelations, our government apparatus—ranging from the Executive to the National Assembly—has failed to take any concrete action. Both the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and Parliament are aware of these misdeeds, but they have remained inactive, highlighting how citizens are left to fend for themselves in the face of systemic abuse.
Joho’s Wealth: A Reflection of Kenya’s Kakistocracy
A notable event during this period was the appointment of Hassan Joho, the former Governor of Mombasa, to President William Ruto’s cabinet. Joho’s declared wealth, which he pegged at KSh 2.4 billion, raised eyebrows. Despite coming from a modest educational background, having scored a D- in his KCSE, Joho’s ascension to the cabinet is emblematic of the “kakistocracy” that has taken root in Kenya. A kakistocracy is a system where the least qualified individuals govern and make decisions for the masses. Joho’s appointment is indicative of this trend, where positions of power are not given to those with the necessary qualifications, experience, or moral integrity, but rather to those who are part of a network of corrupt elites.
While I do not personally hold anything against Joho, his rapid rise in the political scene raises critical questions about the standards of governance in Kenya. How does a person with such dubious qualifications become one of the wealthiest individuals in the country? And more importantly, how does he manage to secure a position of immense influence?
As we dig deeper into Mombasa’s finances, it becomes evident that the leaders who claim to serve the people are doing so at the expense of the very people they are meant to help. In the 2022-2023 financial year, Mombasa County had a budget of approximately KSh 13 billion. However, the priorities of the county government seem skewed.
The Governor’s salary is a prime example of this misallocation. Mombasa’s Governor earns KSh 12 million annually, which is 27 times the average income of a Mombasa resident, who earns KSh 439,390 per year. To put this into perspective, the average monthly salary for a Mombasa resident is just KSh 36,600, whereas the Governor’s monthly income, excluding benefits, is KSh 1 million. This vast discrepancy between the salaries of public officials and ordinary citizens is a hallmark of a system where the elite thrive while the masses languish in poverty.
The Cost of Local Governance: MCAs and Their Lavish Lifestyle
Mombasa’s County Assembly is another glaring example of mismanagement. The county has 42 Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), who collectively cost taxpayers KSh 800 million annually. This amounts to a staggering 6% of the county’s entire budget, despite MCAs comprising just 0.003% of the population. Each MCA costs the county an average of KSh 18 million, with KSh 100,000 per month in sitting allowances.
To make matters worse, the county also allocated KSh 200 million in a single year for the purchase of cars and mortgages for MCAs. This is in stark contrast to the county’s dire economic situation, where 32% of Mombasa residents live below the poverty line and struggle to afford basic necessities like food.
Between 2020 and 2022, Mombasa spent KSh 822 million on travel expenses, which is more than twice the amount allocated for bursaries and education during the same period. Despite the critical need for resources to be directed toward education and public services, the county prioritized lavish travel and unnecessary expenses. This spending spree was not only wasteful but also largely undocumented, with no proper records on who traveled or why.
Furthermore, Mombasa’s County Assembly and executive spent KSh 662 million on catering and hospitality for politicians, while only KSh 386 million was allocated for education in the same period. In a county with failing schools, poor healthcare facilities, and widespread poverty, this kind of misallocation is nothing short of scandalous.
Salary Scandals and Financial Irregularities
The mismanagement does not end with travel and catering. In 2022-2023, Mombasa County spent a staggering 63% of its budget on salaries, far exceeding the legal limit of 35%. This means that approximately KSh 3.6 billion, which could have been used for public services and infrastructure, was instead diverted to salaries and allowances for a small number of government officials. This is a clear violation of the principles of devolution, which was designed to ensure that resources are spread across all citizens, not concentrated in the hands of a few.
Additionally, the county government has been implicated in a series of financial discrepancies. KSh 255 million was paid out in manual transactions, breaching financial regulations and making it impossible to trace who received the funds or for what purpose. A further KSh 476 million was paid as salaries but cannot be accounted for, with no documentation to support the payments.
Mombasa County also failed to remit KSh 88.5 million in payroll taxes to the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA), highlighting the level of financial mismanagement within the local government.
Project Delays and Stalled Developments
One of the most visible symbols of Mombasa’s governance failure is the Mombasa Sports Complex project. In 2018, the county signed a KSh 1.8 billion contract to develop the facility, but by 2022, only 35% of the work had been completed, despite the project’s extended timeline. The audit revealed that KSh 620 million had already been spent on the project, with little to show for it. This is just one example of many delayed and stalled projects that have drained public resources without delivering any tangible benefits to the people.
The citizens of Mombasa are the real victims in this story. A county with a 32% poverty rate, crumbling infrastructure, and subpar public services is being deprived of vital resources due to the greed and corruption of its leaders. With over KSh 3 billion misappropriated in just one fiscal year, the prospects for improving public services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure seem bleak.
In Mombasa, as in many other counties, devolution has become a tool for the powerful elite to enrich themselves at the expense of the people they are supposed to serve. Instead of using public funds to uplift the lives of ordinary Kenyans, politicians have used their positions to line their own pockets, leaving behind a trail of financial mismanagement and suffering.
The situation in Mombasa County is not unique—it is reflective of a larger trend in Kenya’s governance. From the overpayment of public officials to the blatant mismanagement of public funds, the story of Mombasa serves as a stark reminder of how corruption and incompetence have been normalized in our political system. The failure of both local and national governments to hold leaders accountable is a betrayal of the Kenyan people, and the time has come for citizens to demand a government that truly serves their interests.
As we continue to highlight these issues, it is crucial for every Kenyan to ask: who is this government serving? Is it the average citizen, or is it the corrupt politicians who have hijacked the system for their own gain? The answer is painfully clear, and it is up to us to demand change before more resources are lost to the greed and inefficiency that plague our governance.
