Audio By Vocalize
Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali has condemned the removal of his billboards that were aimed at sensitising citizens to register as voters.
In a statement, Ali said the pulling down of the billboards violates freedom of expression and undermines voter awareness efforts.
“The pulling down of billboards with such civic messaging is an outright abuse of power and the suppression of civic space. It violates our freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 33 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to communicate ideas, particularly those of public interest,” he said.
“It further suppresses voter awareness efforts at the Coast in what appears to be a futile attempt to maintain historically low voter registration levels in the region,” the statement added.
The billboards, bearing the message “Utawala Bora sio zawadi. Ni haki yako. Chukua kura tujikomboe,” were removed from Buxton, Ferry and Kibarani areas.
According to the lawmaker, similar threats have been issued to operators of digital screens across the county, warning them against airing an animated version of the same message.
“This deplorable action also infringes on the rights of private businesses, as advertising vendors are being intimidated and threatened for simply engaging in legitimate commerce,” he added.
Ali has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to investigate and intervene.
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Nyali Member of Parliament Mohammed Ali has condemned the removal of his billboards that were aimed at sensitising citizens to register as voters.
In a statement, Ali said the pulling down of the billboards violates freedom of expression and undermines voter awareness efforts.
“The pulling down of billboards with such civic messaging is an outright abuse of power and the suppression of civic space. It violates our freedom of expression as enshrined in Article 33 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to communicate ideas, particularly those of public interest,” he said.
“It further suppresses voter awareness efforts at the Coast in what appears to be a futile attempt to maintain historically low voter registration levels in the region,” the statement added.
The billboards, bearing the message “Utawala Bora sio zawadi. Ni haki yako. Chukua kura tujikomboe,” were removed from Buxton, Ferry and Kibarani areas.
According to the lawmaker, similar threats have been issued to operators of digital screens across the county, warning them against airing an animated version of the same message.
“This deplorable action also infringes on the rights of private businesses, as advertising vendors are being intimidated and threatened for simply engaging in legitimate commerce,” he added.
Ali has called on the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to investigate and intervene.
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By Esther Nyambura