THE MOMBASA LA COSA NOSTRA

Pablo Escobar once said, “Everyone has a price, the important thing is to find out what it is”.

The Joho cartel, Mombasa privileged political families, and Mombasa shrewd business tycoons form what is known as THE MOMBASA MAFIOSO or The Mombasa ‘Cosa Nostra’ , which means ‘Our Thing’ or la stessa cosa "the same thing", meaning "he is the same thing as you – a mafioso as referred by the Italian Sicilian Mafia. At the top of this Mafioso structure is the Joho cartel.

The Mombasa Cosa Nostra is well established and has adopted the so-called “strategia dell inabissamento” which means ‘sinking strategy’, aimed at reducing its visibility and thus the attention from law enforcement agencies by minimizing violence. Approximately 97% of the Mombasa population are not aware that it exists. This sinking strategy helped the Mombasa Mafia infiltration in the legitimate economy. The infiltration in the legitimate economy has to do with the very nature of the Joho cartel and the privileged Mombasa political families and their claim to exercise a political dominion in Mombasa. Also the management of legal companies is indeed a way the Mombasa mafia creates a few job opportunities and extend their power within the communities, as well as establish relationships with legitimate and legal entrepreneurs and politicians. KEEP THINGS LEGITIMATE!

The Joho cartel has operated in Mombasa since early-2000s, but didn’t actively involve themselves in politics until 2007, where a sibling of the Joho cartel, Hassan Joho, was fronted to run for the Kisauni MP seat and later in 2013 to run for the governorship of Mombasa. The Mombasa Port city has been a playground where business tycoons, privileged political families, drug barons and other privileged scoundrels jostle for economic and political supremacy. The main trait that distinguishes the Mombasa Mafioso from other underground organizations in the country is their political dimension.

Among the economic sectors, mafia groups seem to favor the public construction industry, as well as other “protected” sectors where the public administration regulates the participation by requiring a specific license or permission and thus reduces the competition, like CFSs. Besides the provision of goods and services and the maximization of profits, mafia groups aim at exercising political dominion over the areas where their members live and where most of their business assets and activities are conducted. The Mombasa CBD falls under the MVITA CONSTITUENCY, thus paramount for the Mombasa mafia to plant their people in this area.

In 2013 when a Joho cartel sibling was taking a stab at the Mombasa governorship, Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir, from one of the privileged Mombasa political family. A young man in his early 30’s was fronted to recapture the Mvita MP seat. A very important region for the Mombasa Mafioso. The young Abdulswamad had inherited land, lots of assets and businesses from his late father. The mission was to capture back and deliver to him his late father’s seat from Najib Balala , a clean and no nonsense politician who did not entertain the cartels. Balala had defeated Abdulswamad’s father in 2002, the late Shariff Nassir, who served as MP for Mvita for 24 years, an assistant minister and a Cabinet minister of the Moi’s KANU regime and the coast province KANU regime supremo. The privileged Abdulswamad was backed by the former mayor, also one of the privileged Mombasa political families, shroud tycoons and of course the Joho cartel itself. The agreement?  after delivering the seat to Abdulswamad , he will be a puppet to further the agenda of the Joho cartel and the Mombasa Mafioso at large. 

In 2022, The Mombasa Cosa Nostra headed by the Joho cartel through its capture of ODM party, manipulated and influenced the outcome of ODM governor party primaries in favor of their stooge and handpicked candidate. Their choice was of course the privileged boy from a political family, namely Abdulswamad Sharif Nassir . Abdulswamad was leaving the Mvita MP seat,  to ‘inherit’ the Mombasa governor seat from a fellow cosa nostra member Hassan Joho , who now awaits to be in the next Azimio government as Minister of Lands.  

Exasperated Mombasa residents in 2022 should not only vote on issues like Jobs , water, roads, The sewage / storm water drainage systems, rates , taxes and education –but they should vote against the Mombasa casa nostra headed by the Joho cartel and their capture of the county government resources. Mombasa residents should vote against a parallel cartel power structure in the county.

Will the Mombasa residents be smart enough this time?