Coast religious leaders have questioned the criteria used to come up with the names of the selection panel tasked with nominating candidates for the Muslim Endowment Fund (Waqf) Commission.
Speaking in Mombasa, Pwani Patriotic Religious Leaders (PPRL) questioned why the coast region had not been represented in the five-member selection panel.
“As we all know, 99 percent of Waqf are from the coast region, especially in Mombasa and Lamu. So why isn’t the region represented in the selection committee that will nominate the Waqf commissioners?” PPRL Chairperson Sheikh Abu Qatada posed.
The religious leaders decried being sidelined saying that the coast region also had muslim scholars who would be suitable to be in the Waqf Commissioners selection panel.
“It is not possible that in the whole of the coast region, we could not get even a single representative. Our request is we get even one or two representatives from this region because this is where Waqf started,” said Qatada.
Through a gazette notice dated 28th March 2025, Attorney General Dorcas Oduor appointed a five-member selection panel tasked with the appointment of Waqf Commission members.
The five are: Jawahir Keinan Hassan, Al-Hajji Hassan Kirua ole Naado, Sheikh Ibrahim Lethome Asmani, Sheikh Abdala Ibrahim Ateka, and Sumayya Hassan.
“We are not opposing those who were selected, our cry is why didn’t they appoint someone from the Coast Region? We feel that there was no regional balance yet the coast region plays a very big role in matters Waqf,” said Sheikh Abu Qatada.