Editor's Review

What was supposed to be a discourse on a supposed drug menace in Nyali degenerated into unsavoury personal attacks.

The X timelines of activist Boniface Mwangi and Nyali Mp Mohammed Ali alias Jicho Pevu have been smelling explosives for some hours. 

The duo of one-time friends and media colleagues bitterly took on each other on the evening of Saturday, December 9, over a supposed drug menace in the Nyali constituency and the larger Mombasa county. 

It all started when Mwangi dragged the MP into a Kenyan's concern about the youths in Nyali sinking into the menace. 

Identified as Kimaru Chrispus, the Kenyan explained that he had witnessed a case in which a one-time sober lady immersed in drugs asked for romantic favours in exchange for money. 

"Drugs are hell, driving through Nyali Mombasa, a once beautiful lady begs us for money in return for any sexual favour...Our cab guy tells us she was once a big-shot lawyer from a prominent family. Don't try drugs!" said Kimaru.

Noting the weight of the matter, Mwangi launched an eruptive tweet at Ali whom he accused of misplacing his priorities as an MP.

The activist observed that the lawmaker was watching from the periphery as the youths in his constituency got stupefied in their abuse of substances.

File photo of activist Boniface Mwangi and Nyali MP Mohammed Ali.

According to him, instead of the lawmaker engaging in activism against the gay community, the focus ought to be on the fight against drugs.

"Mombasa youth are dying not because of having sex but drug use, still Muslims, and Christian leaders led by Nyali Mohamed Ali would rather hold a protest against gay people instead of focusing on what’s destroying their youth. Are coast leaders in the pockets of the drug dealers?" fired Mwangi.

Not the one to be easily routed, the lawmaker retaliated with another tweet provocative to Mwangi.

Ali claimed that by Mwangi downplaying the anti-gay activism, he was on the payroll of the queer community's sympathisers.

"Brother, are the LGBTQ donors using you? Leave their money because it draws curses. Those whites are not God for you to worship them. Leave their money. Just ask them to send you the ones they normally do," fired Ali.

The lawmaker's retaliatory tweet seemed to have got to the nerves of Mwangi, who degenerated the whole shebang into an unsavoury personal duel.

Mwangi dragged Ali's wife into the mix; he claimed to have taken their photos years back.

And leveraging the f-word, he vehemently denied having donours from any part of the world as the MP had suggested.

"I have no donours Ali...and your wife who l know too well. I have photos to prove it too. For the sake of the people of Mombasa, fight the drug dealers, and peddlers in Mombasa county," came out Mwangi again.

Reserved in his last response, Ali accused Mwangi of sabotaging efforts to end the drug menace.

He counselled the activist to not bow to the influence of the whites whom he accused of introducing substance abuse in Mombasa.

"Yes, you know my wife Boni. U took a picture of us after our wedding 12 years ago which we paid for. In fact, it was on the rooftop of that donor building behind the Ethiopian Embassy paid for by the then Swedish, US Amb among many others. The same pple who are using you, brought drugs to the coast to kill religion and IPK which was powerful by then.

Others picked from there. We will fight and win one day inshallah but Try and love your country my brother. Usiuze nchi yako kimalamala kwa wazungu. Picha ninazo na kama ulizieka waweza print uweke kwa billboard zote za nrb. Na kama huna I can still send them to you," said the MP.

All the while, their followers getting a thrill out of the duo's back and forth fanned them.