Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho's plans to hold a political rally at Mvita grounds on Sunday were thwarted at the last minute after police declined to issue a permit for him to hold the event.
Joho and other Opposition leaders had planned to hold a parallel rally just a few metres from Tononoka grounds where President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto were to lead a Jubilee rally.
Makupa OCS John Owuoth said the security team in Mombasa was stretched with President Kenyatta’s Jubilee rally hence would not approve the ODM event led by Joho.
Speaking to the press after the cancellation of the ODM rally, Mvita MP Abdulswamaad Nassir termed the action by the police to deny them a permit a violation of their constitutional rights, adding that the ‘excuse’ given was shallow.
“If one has a meeting here another cannot have another meeting in another place. That was a shallow excuse that was given. We feel that the police have broken our constitutional rights and we want to say this again that intimidation will not work,” he remarked.
Mr Nassir stated that ODM officials had received information that there was an intention of harming residents who would attend the meeting and urged residents to stay away from the rally.
State House Spokesperson Manoah Esipisu supported the move by the police to deny Joho’s team a permit noting that the meeting was likely to jeopardise security.
“First I wouldn’t know whether ODM has planned a rally or not. I don’t plan for them; I don’t participate in their meetings. But any meeting that might jeopardise the security of the residents at any given time is something that security agents take a view about,” he said.
Following the denial of the permit, Joho accused the Jubilee administration of exercising intimidation.
