Nyali MP Mohamed Ali protests removal of voter registration billboards in Mombasa

Nyali MP Mohamed Ali has protested the removal of three billboards in Mombasa that carried a civic message urging voter registration.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the journalist-turned-politician accused the Mombasa County Government of undermining civic freedoms after the billboards were pulled down across the city.

Ali said the billboards, which bore the message “Utawala Bora sio zawadi. Ni haki yako. Chukua kura tujikomboe” (Good governance is not a gift. It is your right. Register. Liberate ourselves), had been lawfully acquired and were intended to encourage residents to register ahead of the 2027 elections.

MEDIA STATEMENT ON INTERFERENCE WITH VOTER REGISTRATION AWARENESS IN MOMBASA COUNTY pic.twitter.com/TwizZPCwid

— Mohammed Ali, CBS, HSC (@MohaJichoPevu) April 7, 2026

“I wish to bring to the attention of the public, media, and relevant authorities a deeply troubling development that occurred on the night of 6th April 2026 across Mombasa County,” he said.

He argued the move infringed on citizens’ freedom of expression under Article 33 of the Constitution, which protects the right to share ideas, particularly those of public interest.

“The pulling down of billboards with such civic messaging is an outright abuse of power and the suppression of civic space. It violates our freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 33 of the Constitution which guarantees the right to communicate ideas, particularly those of public interest,” he stated.

Ali further alleged that the county administration, led by Governor Abdulswamad Sharrif Nassir, had intimidated advertising agencies and threatened digital screen operators set to air animated versions of the message.

He also called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to intervene, terming the removal an interference with lawful voter registration awareness campaigns.

“I hereby call upon the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to urgently investigate and intervene in what is clearly an interference with legitimate voter registration awareness efforts,” he stated.