Mombasa County government has defended itself against an accusation that it played a role in inviting American singer Chris Brown to the coastal city.
Nominated MCA Mohamed Hatimy, who is also the ODM Mombasa branch chairman, on Saturday said the county administration is “deeply concerned” over allegations that “Governor Hassan Joho and the County Government invited the American singer”.
“We make it absolutely clear that neither Governor Joho nor the County Government have anything to do with Chris Brown’s tour to Mombasa,” Mr Hatimy added.
In comments he made on his Facebook page, Mr Hatimy further said that the concert “is solely sponsored by the Tourism Board, Under Tourism”.
Since his arrival, he has damaged mobile phones of two ladies, one at Moi International Airport and the other at EnglishPoint Marina, where his is staying.
The rebut comes in the wake of a cancelled visit by Zimbabwean Muslim scholar Mufti Ismail Menk to Mombasa, which coincided with Brown’s show.
The county government was sharply criticized on social media and local FM stations of wasting public resources by inviting foreign musicians.
Governor Joho recently invited two Tanzanian musicians, Diamond Platinumz and Ali Kiba, to perform at ODM @10 anniversary at Mama Ngina.
The latter is back to perform on the same stage with Chris Brown.
Dr Menk was to give a lecture at Mombasa Golf Club, the same place where the singer will perform tonight, during his two-day stay in Mombasa.
He, however, Twitted @muftimenk, that “please note the Mombasa event has been shifted to Nairobi for reasons beyond our control”.
Mr Hatimy said the county government should not be blamed for Dr Menk’s decision.
“We deeply regret the cancellation of Mufti Menk’s visit to Mombasa and hope we shall be privileged to host him at a future date,” he added.
He is ranked as one of the most influential Muslim academics in the world with 922, 000 followers on Twitter.
He arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Saturday and was received by Tourism Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala and later addressed Muslims at Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi.
-nation.co.ke
