A MESSAGE FROM TENDAI

CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THEIR DESTINY

TENDAI MTANA, MOMBASA GOVERNOR 2013

POSITIONING MOMBASA GLOBALLY

Why am I running for Governor of Mombasa?

As many of you know, over several months I have been seeking God about my plans for 2013. Standing for a gubernatorial seat is a weighty decision – and one that should not be made on the basis of euphoria or personal ambition alone. Therefore, before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that I was right before God, that this was right for Terri and Gabriel and, more importantly, right for the County.

I certainly did not expect to find myself in this position a year ago. But over these past months, as I have spoken with many of you in the County. I have engaged and read the comments on social media and walked within the neighbourhoods with you. As I have done so, I have been struck by the yearning for a new way of doing politics.

So I have spent time thinking about how I could best advance the exploration of destiny as a City that we so earnestly need.

The decisions that have been made in and about Mombasa over the past 50 years, and the problems that have been ignored, have put our County in a precarious place. Our homes are broken, our economy is on its knees, and this presents a crisis for our families, our businesses, our careers and our talent development. Many of you have shared with me your stories about the loss of loved ones through crime and drug abuse, the lack of gainful employment, the fear of closing down your businesses, the pitiable state of your neighbourhoods, and your struggles to just make ends meet. Our continued dependence on national government, tourism and maritime logistics has put our security and the survival of our productive generation at risk. And yet we are still engaged in a conversation about whether we should dwell in unity, a conversation that should never have arisen in the first place if truly justice had been our shield and defender.

But challenging as they are, it is not the enormity of our difficulties that concerns me the most. It is the mediocrity of our politics. Today, our leaders in Mombasa seem incapable of working together in a diligent way. Partisan politics, desire for influence based on blind ambition and greed continues to entrench sectarian and tribal divisions in the community. And yet, from my time with you, it is evident that we have an accurate account of our ability to respond and tackle the big problems that demand creative solutions.

And that is why we have to connect to our destiny first. We have to connect our dignity to our destiny as a part of our politics given our way of life of truth, reconciliation and healing based on the principle of neighbourhood as residents of Mombasa. This will not happen by itself. Excellence in our politics can only come from you; from people across our county who know there is a better way and are willing to champion it.

Years ago, as a constituency manager in Mvita Constituency, I learnt that meaningful connection always begins in the neighbourhoods and that organized neighbourhoods working together can accomplish extraordinary success. So even in the midst of the enormous challenges we face today, I have great faith and hope about the future - because we have achieved it before.

And that is why I wanted to tell you that I will be registering myself as a voter today as the first step in connecting with the next season of my political destiny. For the remaining 14 days I will double my effort to get more voters registered. We will be activating our “get out and register” campaign called “Nipe Tano”. In addition over the next 6 weeks, I am going to talk with residents from around the county, listening and learning more about the creative solutions and ability, the positive partnerships that we must engage as a county, the opportunities that lie before us, and the role that a gubernatorial campaign might play in exploration of the destiny of our county. And on January 23^rd, at the beginning of the official campaign period and in my ward of Mwakirunge, I'll launch my plans with my friends, neighbours and fellow residents of Mombasa.

In the meantime, I want to thank all of you for prayers, your time, your suggestions and your encouragement. And I look forward to continuing our conversation in the weeks and months to come. “Nipe Tano!”