Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir revealed on Monday, May 27, that he does not use any social media sites, including WhatsApp.
Speaking during an interview with Spice FM, Governor Nassir remarked that this helped him focus on service delivery.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) elected leader remarked that social media sites expose politicians to the risk of being swayed by emotions.
“I have a reason I do not have social media on my phone. If I walk around with kabambe it wouldn’t make a difference to me because I do not even have WhatsApp,” he explained.
The Governor remarked that he had discussed being away from social media with those close to him, including family.
“I have told this to my son that in leadership, you need to be strong enough to hold your emotions and make decisions that are not going to be based on emotions and based on results that are going to come out,” he explained.
Despite personally confessing to not using social media, Nassir maintains active and verified Facebook and X accounts.
The Governor did not disclose whether the personal pages were updated by his communications team.
Nassir was speaking at a time when he has banned the sale and distribution of muguka in Mombasa.
He explained that banning the popular mild stimulant was a political risk that he was ready to shoulder.
The ODM governor added that despite some people describing it as a unilateral decision, the ban was supported by a majority of Mombasa politicians.
Nassir remarked that the Mombasa County Assembly had collectively supported the ban, and he also had the support of all Members of Parliament except one.
Besides Mombasa, the Coastal counties of Taita Taveta and Kilifi have also banned the stimulant with Kwale increasing levies charged on the product.
