![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/093e01cc-ea37-440f-841e-d73c61b51fdf.jpeg\")
Dr Luciana Swazua, who represents Mombasa women in the association, speak during a press conference in Mtwapa.Women and youth
\nleaders from the Coast region have condemned recent attacks targeting the
\nUmwenga Wehu Association<\/p>\n
Dr Luciana Swazua, who represents Mombasa women in the association, speak during a press conference in Mtwapa.Women and youth
\nleaders from the Coast region have condemned recent attacks targeting the
\nUmwenga Wehu Association<\/p>\n
They have also reaffirmed
\ntheir support for veteran politician Chirau Makwere, who was installed as the Mijikenda
\ncommunity spokesperson on December 27, 2025.<\/p>\n
The association
\nbrings together all nine Mijikenda sub-tribes \u2014Giriama, Chonyi, Kauma, Kambe,
\nDigo, Ribe, Rabai, Duruma and Jibana \u2014 with the aim of advancing the community\u2019s
\npolitical, social and economic interests.<\/p>\n
Speaking during
\na forum in Mtwapa municipality, Kilifi county, Dr Luciana Swazua, who
\nrepresents Mombasa women in the association, described the initiative as the
\nfirst concrete step towards Mijikenda unity after years of dialogue.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis process
\nhas involved consultations across all our counties, from Kwale to Lamu. We urge
\nwomen not to be left behind because they are the most affected when development
\nfails,\u201d Swazua said.<\/p>\n
She noted that
\nwomen at the Coast have historically been sidelined from meaningful
\nparticipation in development, often due to a few individuals acting as
\ngatekeepers for personal gain.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want
\ndevelopment benefits to reach every woman and every child. As an association,
\nwe have a vision to nurture the dreams of our people,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
Swazua
\nchallenged women to seek leadership positions, saying divisions within the
\ncommunity had been fuelled by individuals with selfish interests. She also
\ncalled on critics of the unity drive to engage constructively rather than sow
\ndiscord.<\/p>\n
Youth leader
\nJacinta Mbeyu said the Mijikenda had reached a turning point, similar to other
\ncommunities across the country that have united to address shared challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy not the
\nMijikenda? That is why all nine sub-tribes came together to choose one
\nspokesperson. Sixty-two years after independence, many of our people are still
\nliving as squatters,\u201d Mbeyu said.<\/p>\n
She lamented
\nthat despite the region\u2019s wealth in minerals and ocean resources, the community
\nhad little to show for it, accusing some leaders of prioritising personal
\ninterests over collective welfare.<\/p>\n
Human rights
\ndefender Victor Kaudo expressed concern that internal divisions had persisted
\ndecades after independence.<\/p>\n
\u201cUmwenga Wehu
\nmeans our unity as the Mijikenda. As a community, we agreed to give Chirau Ali
\nMakwere this role because of his track record as an MP, minister and
\nambassador,\u201d Kaudo said.<\/p>\n
He criticised
\nattempts by some individuals to position themselves as alternative
\nspokespersons, warning that such moves risk creating confusion. \u201cWe cannot have
\ntwo spokespersons for the same community. This initiative is not about
\nendorsing any political party or individual but about liberating our people,\u201d
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Emily Maendeleo
\nsaid the association would enable the Mijikenda to speak with one voice and
\npromote equitable distribution of resources among all nine tribes.<\/p>\n
Halima
\nMohammed from Rabai subcounty urged Mijikenda youth to rally behind the
\ninitiative, while Maridhia Omar from Kaloleni likened Umwenga Wehu
\nto regional associations such as Gema, which have successfully advocated for
\ntheir communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese
\nassociations push for their people\u2019s interests and get results. Why not us?
\nCurrently, the Mijikenda are underrepresented in government compared to other
\ncommunities,\u201d Omar said.<\/p>\n
She called on
\nleaders opposing the association to seek clarity on its objectives instead of
\nspreading misinformation.<\/p>\n
INSTANT
\nANALYSIS<\/p>\n
The Mijikenda initiative highlights
\na growing push for ethnic cohesion as a tool for political and economic
\nempowerment at the Coast. By rallying behind Umwenga Wehu Association and
\nendorsing a single spokesperson, women and youth leaders are signalling fatigue
\nwith fragmentation that has historically weakened the Mijikenda voice. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dr Luciana Swazua, who represents Mombasa women in the association, speak during a press conference in Mtwapa.Women and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":13987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[6711,9432,80,9431,98,100,101,99,9433,7053],"class_list":{"0":"post-13986","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kenya","8":"tag-coast","9":"tag-girls","10":"tag-kenya","11":"tag-mijikenda","12":"tag-star-news","13":"tag-star-news-kenya","14":"tag-the-star","15":"tag-the-star-newspaper","16":"tag-umwenga-wehu-association","17":"tag-women"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/africa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}