Trouble in brewing at Kakuyuni in Malindi, Kilifi County after two rival groups of worshippers differed bitterly over the management of a mosque, an Islamic school and hospital built by a donor.
One of the groups opposed to the current management Tuesday held peaceful demonstrations to demand Mr Markaz Muallafatul who also manages Oulub Islamic Centre to step aside.
They carried twigs and branches along Malindi-Kakuyuni road claiming the mosque, hospital and Islamic centre managers have misused funds leading to collapse of the Islamic school and hospital.
PROJECT
Ms Bishamba Ali Athman, a resident said she donated land for the construction of the project but those managing it misused the funds which led to the collapse of the school and hospital.
Speaking to journalists at the facility during the demonstrations, she said the idea behind the project was to help locals join Islam but the greedy administrators run down the facility.
“We gave out the land for the project to help the community, the donor set up the mosque, school and hospital, bought a maize grinding machine and a tuk tuk but the administrators miss managed the facilities,’’ she said.
Currently, the health centre and the school have not been operating for about two years following mismanagement of the facilities.
Mr Athman Ramathan, the village elder said they community does not want the administrators from Malindi to run the institution as they had lost faith in them. He said the administrators were enriching themselves from the donation given by donors instead of helping the society and promote Islamic religion in the area.
CHAOS
It is alleged that trouble started last weekend after the managers led by a Malindi politician Fuad Kombe toured the mosque and Islamic institution to take photographs while muslims faithfuls were conducting prayers.
Angered residents reportedly evicted them forcing the Islamic institute administrators to flee and return with police officers from Malindi.
Police officers shot in the air to disperse the crowd which had become rowdy and arrested two people.