By EUGENE OMILO
The Mombasa Municipal council has honoured late powerful
cabinet minister Shariff Nassir by renaming a road in Mombasa’s King’orani area
after him.
Shariff Nassir was a long serving MP for Mvita constituency and
held various cabinet portfolios in the government of former president Daniel arap
Moi in the 1990s.
Speaking during a brief ceremony to erect road signs on the road
bearing the late Nassir’s name yesterday, Shariff Nassir Foundation chairman
Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir thanked the Mombasa Municipal council for seeing it fit
to name the busy road after his father.
Mr. Abdulswamad who later on hosted an iftar (breaking of the
fast) ceremony after the launch took the opportunity to wish Muslims a happy
Idd ul Fitr as the holy month of Ramadhan comes to a close.
He also urged the Muslim community to embarace the religion’s
teaching even after the Ramadhan period.
“Muslims should uphold the good deeds that they have been
practicing during the holy month.
Let us carry on with the spirit of compassion
towards the less fortunate in our midst even after Ramadhan,” he advised.
The occasion attracted close friends and political allies of the
former minister who extolled on the virtues
of the veteran Coast politician and urged the younger Nassir who is in the race
for the Mvita parliamentary seat in the coming general elections to follow in his father’s footsteps.
Athman Ali Kubo and Mjomba Ashur praised the good deeds of the
late minister saying he touched the hearts of many residents in the constituency
during his long reign as MP and that the development initiatives he started are
still benefiting constituents.
Mr. Abdulswamad also added his voice to the ongoing debate on
whether aspirants for various seats should be vetted saying the process is
necessary if questionable individuals are to be prevented from seeking public
office.
“If we are serious about the integrity of our leaders, then
there is no point opposing the vetting process , if we believe we are clean then
there should not be fear in allowing our deeds and our past to be scrutinized,”
he said.
He called on the government to uphold the Integrity Bill as
a way of setting precedence for a graft free leadership era in Kenya.
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| Friends of the late Shariff Nassir join his son Abddulswamad to erect one of the signages. |
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| Posing for a memorable photo...PHOTOS by E. Omilo. |
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