Jicho Pevu Claims Coast MPs Filled KPA Job Slots With Their Own Families

Nyali Member of Parliament Mohamed Ali, popularly known as Jicho Pevu, has claimed that every Coast region MP received two slots to hire people at the Port of Mombasa.

 He says those slots were filled with family members rather than qualified youth from the community.

Ali made the claims in a social media address. He said he holds a document listing 629 KPA jobs Coast MPs and their appointees received under the arrangement.

“All MPs were given two people each to employ,” Ali said. “All those who were given these slots, except me, have employed their own families.”

What Ali Claims the List Shows

According to Ali, the allocation covered lawmakers from across the entire Coast region. He said these included members from Lamu, Kwale, Taita Taveta, Tana River, and all Coast counties.

Ali said he was excluded from the arrangement. He claimed this was because he is seen as a critic of the government.

“As for me, I have not been given a single slot at the Coast port to hire anyone, because I am viewed as a rebel who opposes some of the bad behaviors of the government,” he said.

In addition, Ali claimed that the list he has showed the breakdown by different regions, he added that KPA jobs were meant to benefit locals but were captured by political networks across the country.

Governor and Billboard Row Also Raised

Meanwhile, Ali used the same address to respond to accusations that he had not paid for political billboards in Mombasa County.

He produced what he described as a contract and payment receipt from Magnet Ventures, the billboard company.

He claimed Governor Abdulswamad Nassir ordered the billboards removed despite a valid contract being in place.

“The Governor went and said, ‘Take it down, I don’t want to see that face,'” Ali said.

Youth Jobs at the Port Under Scrutiny

However, the broader concern Ali raised was about youth unemployment in Mombasa County.

He said young, qualified people had been shut out of port employment while political families benefited.

“The youth are educated; they can do those jobs,” he said. “But because you were bribed with two slots each, you gave them to your families.”

The KPA jobs Coast MPs controversy comes as employment at the Port of Mombasa remains a sensitive issue. Youth groups and civil society organizations have repeatedly raised concerns about transparency in KPA recruitment.