Mvita youths attack Balala
Gideon Maundu | NATION
Tourism minister Najib Balala talks to some of the youths outside the Mvita Constituency Development Fund office at Tudor where they had gone to return a car washing machine. Two of his sons and a member of the CDF committee were injured as the youths attempted to attack the minister.
Tourism minister Najib Balala was on Monday attacked by a mob in his Mvita base, forcing his bodyguard to fire in the air to whisk him to safety.
The minister escaped unhurt, but his two sons and a Constituency Development Fund officer, Mr Lai Khamisi, were injured in the scuffle at the CDF office in Tudor.
Mr Khamisi fractured his left arm when he acted as a human shield to block a log aimed at the minister.
The minister’s aide, Mr Ben Furaha, said trouble started shortly after a CDF meeting around 11am.
A group of rowdy youth confronted the minister as he boarded his car demanding that he addresses them. He declined, and advised them to pick a representative to tell him their grievances.
“They were demanding that the minister buys them a bigger pump for use in their cash wash project,” Mr Furaha said.
The mob was enraged when the minister said he had used his own money to buy the pump they were using and that he did not have money for a new one.
“That is when the boys turned rowdy and started heckling the minister,” he said.
Sensing trouble, the driver started the car and made for the gate but the youth barricaded the exit with a cart.
Mr Balala’s driver, bodyguard and two sons jumped out of the car and asked the mob to disperse. Instead, the group attacked the younger Balalas with punches and kicks.
The bodyguard drew a pistol and fired in the air, sending the youths fleeing.
They were clad in black T-shirts emblazoned “Ramadhan Karim” in front and “Shariff Nassir Foundation” on the back.
Eight suspects were arrested later at Makupa Police Station where they had allegedly gone to report the shooting incident.
They were taken to court and charged with creating a disturbance.
The suspects, Mr Willy Aseke, Mr Hassan Hussein, Mr Bernard Ochieng’, Mr Salim Suleiman, Mr Ali Ahmed, Mr Yusuf Mohammed, Mr Abib Kassim and Mr Hussein Hamisi, denied the charges.
They were freed on a personal bond of Sh10,000 each until August 23 when the case will be heard.
Speaking in Nairobi, Mr Balala accused his rivals of playing dirty politics and paying youths on drugs to cause chaos.
“To abuse other people is a not a quality of good leadership,” he said, adding, his sons sustained minor injuries and did not travel with him to Nairobi.
But Mr Abdulswamad Nassir, the patron of Shariff Nassir Foundation, disowned any links with the group.
“I am not silly to send the youth to the minister. The minister wants to make political mileage out of the issue. Every mishap that befalls Balala is blamed on me,” Mr Nassir said.
