Mombasa County will be holding its monthly cleanup day on Saturday 2nd May from 8.30 AM at Mama Ngina drive.
The exercise will be led by the County Executive Secretary for Water and Environment Hon. Fatma Awale together with a team from the County government.
The cleanup will be followed later by a tree planting session at Mombasa’s most popular recreational area Mama Ngina drive. This exercise follows other activities that are taking place in Mombasa to beautify the city and improve its outlook.
“My government is committed and dedicated to bringing Mombasa where it was before, the conducive green environment that each resident of Mombasa County is yearning for. I want to appeal to residents to pride in maintaining the general cleanliness and beautification of the County,” said Governor Joho
The beautification efforts have resulted in a cleaner and better looking Central Business District (CBD). According to the county government, the plan is to first beautify the CBD and then move to other parts of town. However, not everyone is impressed with the work so far.
“How long will it take for them to get to Mwembe Tayari, Spaki or Sabasaba? I think that beautification is an elitist affair. Until they start beautifying places where poor wananchi are, I don’t buy it,” Fauz, a student quipped.
In addition to the beautification  the county government has been building cabro pavements in Likoni, Island and Changamwe to ease pedestrian movement. Recently, the Governor commissioned Jamvi la Wageni to Kiwerera Cabro Road (2.4 KM) and Shelly Beach Road (5KM) in Likoni as part of these efforts.
Visitors to Mama Ngina drive will enjoy the shade of the trees planted in a few years. However they have a more pressing matter that needs addressing. There is only one public toilet in the area and it has been privatized.
More than a year ago the Governor promised to sort the matter and it is still pending. A visit to the existing toilet is only for the brave as the stench can be overwhelming and you still have to pay for a toilet that has no running water.
Yusuf, a vendor at Mama Ngina says people are using the ocean or hidden caves and hidden areas behind rocks as toilets.
“Hio miti tutaona kivuli baada ya miaka, kwa sasa hivi. Tunahitaji vyoo vya wananchi”, (we do not need trees for beautification now since they will take long to grow. What we need now are toilets for the people to use), he states.
