The Juhudi Center has conducted a public awareness campaign on various government development projects in Jomvu, Mombasa County, aimed at ensuring residents understand how they are involved in development matters.
Speaking in Miritini, Jomvu, the organization’s Executive Director, Omary Komora, warned that communities risk losing control over their affairs if they do not organize themselves. He emphasized the need to empower residents with knowledge about their rights and roles in development initiatives.
“Sometimes what appears to be development may actually be a scheme by individuals to grab land.That is why we must explain everything clearly so that before any project begins, citizens are involved and understand what is happening otherwise, they may wake up to find they have lost everything,” Komora said.
Komora added that there is a need for projects to originate with citizens at the grassroots level before being escalated to higher authorities, rather than being designed by leaders and later imposed on communities who may not fully understand them.
“As a country, we have leaders who are not always truthful. It is important that we push for leadership guided by laws that prioritize the ordinary citizen,” he stated.
According to Komora, the organization has found that many citizens are excluded from crucial processes such as county budget planning. He noted that budgets are often drafted in offices by leaders, and the priorities included do not necessarily reflect the needs of residents.
Yusuf Swaleh, a resident of Miritini, expressed gratitude to the organization for raising awareness on social and governmental issues, saying that residents are becoming more informed.
“This kind of civic education should be carried out in all the 30 wards of Mombasa County and should be conducted annually. That way, we can track the progress of projects, know what stage they have reached, and determine what needs to be included in the budget to ensure their completion,” Swaleh said.
Maggy Loliani, an advisory and mediation officer, thanked residents for turning up in large numbers for the awareness session. She said it was encouraging to see citizens eager to understand their responsibilities.
“Often when citizens are invited to such meetings, discussions focus only on security issues. Now that we have started talking about development matters, they are very excited and want these forums to be held regularly,” Loliani concluded.
Juhudi Center plans to conduct similar awareness forums across all constituencies in Mombasa County. The initiative began in Chaani and Jomvu and will extend to Kisauni, Mvita, Nyali, and Likoni, with the aim of ensuring that all communities are actively involved in development matters.