A fresh row over Mombasa's Tom Mboya Hall erupts

BY JOSEPH OCHIENG. .

THE perennial war among Luo elders over the control of Mombasa’s Tom Mboya Memorial Hall has taken a new twist after the council of elders, elected barely four months ago, usurped the role of the property management, thereby triggering another round of wrangles over finances.

Those elected included John Otieno Owiti (Chairman), Joseph Onyango (Secretary) and Peter Otieno (Treasurer).

The group has surprised members of the Luo Community by declaring that they are not elders but “young people” with mandate to manage community welfares and the properties of the Luo community. They say they cannot handle complicated social issues like arbitration, rituals, et al.

“I am relatively a young person. My brief in office is to promote unity and make our people speak with one voice on issues pertaining to economy, politics and to handle our only asset in Mombasa which is the Tom Mboya Memorial Hall”, said Owiti, the Chairman.

But a rival group, led by James Kings Obara, Maurice Asere and Wasonga Sijeyo, claims it is the bona fide team with legitimate mandate to run the property, located along Jomo Kenyatta Avenue at Makupa.

The group is accusing Otieno Owiti led team of interfering with the running of the Hall, and allegedly diverting revenue accruing from rents. Obara charged that Kshs. 57,000 had gone missing, though he could not substantiate.

The Obara group is being accused of fronting for the former Luos’ council chairman, Joseph Obuya Ndega who was ousted unceremoniously mid this year.

An aide-cum-personal driver of a prominent Luo leader is said to be financing the group, with the view of antagonizing the Otieno Owiti team, and create a leadership vacuum, which he could exploit for political expediency come the 2007 general elections – as they did during the campaigns for Hassan Joho in the Kisauni by-election.

The Owiti group has strongly opposed any maneuver to bring back Obuya, saying he should refund Kshs. 3 million allegedly misappropriated during his reins. They are also demanding that he withdraw a suit he has filed against the incumbent in the Mombasa courts.

The hall that is the only Luo property in Mombasa. Other Luo properties are Ofafa Jericho in Nairobi and others in Kisumu, Daressalam and Uganda. The Mombasa peoperty was set up through harambee held in 1968 and named after the late minister for justice and constitutional affairs, Tom Mboya.

The memorial hall tussle has been a recent thorny issue among the Luo community residing in the coast and has sparked off a fierce row.

Early this year, roads minister Raila Odinga, in the company of the chairman of Luo council of elders, Riaga Ogalo visited Mombasa to smoothen out the high flaring tempers, after which they handed over keys to the sitting officers as the bonafide officials.

However, his efforts appear to have proved futile because the wrangles have persisted, if not worsened.

When the new team took the office, it found a debt of Kshs. 786,400 the hall owed to the Mombasa municipal council. They have since cleared Kshs. 167,000.

The Luo community residing in Mombasa, led by councillor Sammy Mirodho are appealing to Riaga Ogallo to go there in person and select an elderly person to lead the Luo community. They single out Joseph Onyango, a retired teacher, businessman Clement Okumu Aroko and Dr. J. B. Okanga as good material and well educated to handle the situation.

Joseph Ochieng'
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