County commissioner Evans Achoki has directed all retail outlets to note down details of those buying machetes in a bid to curb crime.
Addressing Madaraka Day celebrations at Tononoka Grounds in Mombasa, Mr Achoki said the county security committee has resolved that traders dealing in pangas should get details of the national identity cards and telephone numbers of those buying pangas and issue them with receipts to enable the government to monitor them.
“Mombasa has no forests and we wonder why people are buying so many pangas. The county security committee has therefore asked all traders to record details of those buying the pangas to monitor how they use them,”
Mr Achoki was responding to complaints from locals that cases of youths as young as 12 attacking residents with machetes had soared in some parts of Mombasa.
At the same time Mr Achoki directed landlords to register all their tenants in a bid to rid the county of drug trafficking.
“We are concerned that drug traffickers operate in houses but landlords do not give information to the police. We now want them to register tenants including keeping numbers of their national identity cards,” he said.
Likoni MP Mishi Mboko asked the Government to address insecurity in parts of Mombasa where youths are attacking people particularly at night.
Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki urged MPs to soften their hardline stance and endorse a decision by Senate to increase budgetary allocation to counties from Sh310 billion in the last financial year to Sh335 billion to ensure they run effectively.
“The needs of the counties have increased and even the national government has increased its own budget this year. We therefore urge MPs to endorse the Senate proposed allocations for counties,” he said.
Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo challenged governors Hassan Joho (Mombasa), Amason Kingi (Kilifi) and Salim Mvurya (Kwale) who are in their final terms in office to give Coast residents a political roadmap in order to end marginalisation of the region.
“The three governors are in their final terms and should lead Coast in charting its political destiny ahead of the referendum. If they remain indecisive, they themselves are bound to fail in their future plans,” said Mbogo.
The leaders urged the Government to ensure there is public participation on the proposed takeover of the Mombasa port.
“We are opposed to the Government’s plan but we need a comprehensive public participation exercise to be done in Coast where the port is located and not in Nairobi,” Ms Mboko said.
Ms Mboko said Coast MPs were not opposed to the Government’s blue economy initiative, but want the plan to be all-inclusive.
“As MPs we still have issues over the planned takeover of the container terminal built with Sh27 billion from taxpayers. We have not been satisfactorily told how the money should be recovered,” she said.
