Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir Urges Coastal Residents to Register Voters

Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir, deputy party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement, called on residents of the Coast to obtain national identity cards and register as voters, warning that their political influence depends on voter numbers.

Speaking on Sunday, he appealed to chiefs, village elders and other local administrators to help eligible people acquire identity documents and complete voter registration ahead of future elections.

Nassir said political respect and influence are earned through numbers, stating “Politics is about numbers” and arguing that verbal support alone cannot secure a community’s influence.

He criticised previous administrations for applying identity registration laws unfairly, alleging that some children and residents were denied cards and describing the law as “a butcher's knife, which only cuts on one side”.

The governor asserted that the current administration is committed to equal treatment in issuing identity cards regardless of geography, noting that the law for people in Nyeri, Homa Bay, Lamu, Tana River, Kisii, Turkana, Marsabit and Garissa is the same as for Mombasa.

Nassir also urged newly-aged 18-year-olds who have obtained identity cards to proceed with voter registration, saying “The mouth does not cast a vote”.

Emphasising the voter’s card as a tool for political participation, he added “We cannot have people standing behind us if they do not have weapons. And our weapon is the voter's card”.