Mahmoud Abbas “Kenya One”
Born in Old Town Mombasa in 1957, Abbas became a legendary goalkeeper on club and international level, earning him the title, Kenya 1. He hails from a family with a history of respected Maalims and footballers. His father, Maalim Ahmed Abbas Said was a well-known sheikh and the secretary General of Mombasa District Football federation […]
Ship Wrecks: MV GLOBE STAR (27th April, 1973)
The Globe Star was a cargo ship that ran aground on April 27, 1973, along Nyali Reef near Mombasa, Kenya, while transporting 10,000 tons of wheat destined for Karachi, Pakistan. Despite extensive salvage efforts, the ship eventually broke apart and was abandoned. Tragically, during a salvage operation in November 1973, five individuals lost their lives […]
Ahmed Shahame Mwidani (1940–2021)
Ahmed Shahame Mwidani was a prominent Kenyan politician and the longest-serving mayor of Mombasa, holding office from 1983 to 1997. Prior to this, he was the councilor of Port Ritz Ward. He left office voluntarily in 1997 and paved way for then nominated councilor Najib Balala who went ahead to serve for only a year, […]
The Church Missionary Society
The Church Missionary Society (CMS), a British Anglican mission society founded in 1799, played a crucial role in the introduction of Christian missionary activity in Mombasa and its spread to the broader Kenyan coast. The CMS still have presence in Mombasa located between the road that leads to the Port and the other that leads […]
Mwalimu Masudi Mwahima (1 November 1949 – 25 August 2020)
Mwalimu Masudi Mwahima was a Mombasa-based Kenyan politician. He belonged to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and was elected to represent the Likoni Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya since the 2007 Kenyan parliamentary election. Mwahima began his political life in 1987 when he was elected as a councilor in Kenya’s port city of […]
Shariff Nassir Bin Taib (1932–2005)
Shariff Nassir was a prominent Kenyan politician from Mombasa who played a significant role in the country’s political landscape during President Daniel arap Moi’s regime. He is the father to the current Governor of Mombasa County, His Excellency Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir (born). Known for his loyalty to the ruling party KANU and his fiery rhetoric, […]
Msanifu Kombo, first Mayor of Mombasa City
Msanifu Kombo Msanifu Kombo was elected Mayor of Mombasa during the KANU-KADU coalition government (1962–1964). His victory coincided with KADU’s dominance in Mombasa, where local leaders like Abdillahi Nassir and Anantprasad Pandya opposed KANU’s centralization. Kombo’s rise likely aligned with Oginga Odinga’s faction of KANU (which later became Kenya People’s Union, KPU), which emphasized regional […]
Mackinon Market
Mackinon market sits along Digo Road (formerly Salim Road North), Mombasa. Founded in 1914 during the colonial era, the market was named after Sir Henry Mackinnon, the then-colonial governor. Being the first and oldest in the coastal region, Mackinnon market was gazetted as a national monument in 1980, under the Antiques and Monuments Act of […]