Mombasa Calls for More Huduma Centres as Demand for Services Rise

By Mbungu Harrison

Email, thecoastnewspaper@gmail.com

Mombasa leaders have been urged to establish more Huduma Centres to ease the strain on the only existing centre located in Mombasa town as demand for government services continue to grow.

The call was made following a surge in residents seeking services during a free outreach programme dubbed Huduma Mashinani, a joint initiative between the Mombasa Huduma Centre and the Lulu ya Jamii Foundation.

Hundreds of residents from Mvita Subcounty turned up to access essential services at no cost.

The services offered included issuance of birth certificates, national identity cards, social health authority (SHA) registration, KRA PIN registration, and registration of community-based organisations (CBOs), among others.

Speaking during the event, Mombasa Huduma Centre officer in charge, Harrison Yogo, said the outreach targeted over 500 residents due to the increasing demand for services at the grassroots.

Yogo appealed to county and national leaders to establish additional Huduma Centres in Jomvu, Kisauni, and Likoni sub-counties, noting that residents from these areas face difficulties accessing services at the city centre.

“Residents endure long queues, waste a lot of time, and incur high transport costs to access services that could easily be offered within their own sub-counties,” he said.

Lulu ya Jamii patron and journalist Lulu Hassan addressing Media. (Photo By mwakwaya Raymond)

“We are appealing to leaders to set up more Huduma Centres in these regions to reduce the hardship residents face.”

Beneficiaries of the free services, sponsored by the Lulu ya Jamii Foundation, expressed gratitude for the initiative.

Saumu Abdalla, a resident of Mvita, said the programme saved her time and money after she successfully obtained her child’s birth certificate.

“I am very happy because I got my child’s birth certificate here. It has saved me the cost and time of travelling to look for this important document,” she said.

Another resident, Esther Watoni from Moroto in Tudor, who lost her documents after a fire razed her house, expressed relief after replacing her birth certificate and national ID.

In addition to government services, residents also benefited from free health check-ups through a partnership with Mombasa City Hospital. Services included blood pressure and diabetes screening.

Lulu ya Jamii patron and journalist Lulu Hassan, who presided over the event, said the initiative was aimed at easing the burden residents face while seeking essential services.

“It is worrying to see people spending long hours in queues and a lot of money on transport just to access basic services. We decided to partner with Huduma Centre to take services closer to the people,” she said.

Lulu Hassan speaks to some ladies seeking waiting to be served.(photo By Mwakwaya Raymond)

Hassan also highlighted plans to nurture talent among youth in Mvita Sub-county through sports, saying talent development can create meaningful opportunities and improve livelihoods.

“Talent pays, and it has transformed many communities. We must nurture young people’s talents so they can earn a living and build better futures,” she added.