Chaos Erupts at Shikaadabu Hall Over Sh228 Million Ward Budget in Kilifi

By Ben Okweingoti, Kilifi 

There was drama at the Shikaadabu Social Hall in Rabai Kisurutini Ward, Rabai Sub-County, Kilifi County, after a public meeting meant to discuss the county’s budget allocation for the ward degenerated into chaos and near fistfights.

The meeting, which brought together residents to deliberate on the Sh228 million budget, saw two rival camps emerge — one supporting the approved budget and another opposing it, claiming it failed to address the ward’s most pressing needs.

The dissenting group, led by Said Charo, Tobias Ngao, and Rashid Saburi, accused the County Government of Kilifi of overlooking crucial sectors such as health and education. They have since petitioned the Kilifi County Assembly to return the budget for harmonization to ensure fair resource distribution.

“We have given the County Assembly of Kilifi seven days to deliberate on our petition. If they fail, we will move to court because the approved budget doesn’t reflect the needs of the people,” said Charo.

Saburi alleged that the area Member of County Assembly (MCA), Mae Mwadena, had sent his supporters to disrupt the meeting.

“The meeting was called in good faith to discuss the unfair distribution of projects, but the MCA sent his supporters to cause chaos. He knows the Sh228 million budget is not equitably shared among the four sub-locations in Rabai Kisurutini Ward,” he claimed.

However, a section of residents loyal to the MCA defended him, accusing the conveners of politicizing development matters. They alleged that the chaos was being fueled by political rivalry following Mwadena’s recent declaration that he will contest the Rabai Constituency parliamentary seat in the next general election.

Florence Lwambi, Mohamed Simba, and Mulki Hassan maintained that those opposing the budget had ulterior motives and were not genuinely concerned about development.

“What we are witnessing today is unfortunate. A few individuals allied to an elected politician are using county projects to tarnish the MCA’s name. We won’t allow that,” said Simba.

Mulki added that many of those criticizing the projects had failed to attend previous public participation sessions.

“They never show up when we hold public planning meetings, yet they are quick to challenge approved projects. This is pure hypocrisy,” she said.

The incident has highlighted deepening political divisions in Rabai Kisurutini Ward ahead of the 2027 elections, with residents now demanding greater transparency and inclusivity in local budget decisions.