Call for stern purge on corruption as Muslims mark Eid

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho (left) and Mvita MP Abdulswamad Nassir join faithful at Mombasa’s Ronald Ngala Primary School grounds for the Eid ul Fitr celebrations. [Maarufu Mohamed, Standard]

Muslims in Kenya joined fellow faithful across the world for Eid ul Fitr celebrations, officially marking the end of the annual month-long fast of Ramadhan on a high note.

Faithful across Kenya marked the day, which was declared a public holiday by the Government, with special communal prayers in open fields and mosques in the morning before retreating with family and friends for merry making.

Special meals were shared with family and friends to mark the end of Ramadhan, when faithful stayed away from food, drink and conjugal relations between dawn and dusk in a bid to gain divine closeness.

In Mombasa, Chief Kadhi Sheikh Ahmed Shariff Mohdhar led hundreds of Muslims in the special prayers at the Ronald Ngala Primary School grounds.

Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir and former Chief Kadhi Sheikh Hammad Kassim attended the prayers with thousands of other faithful.

“It is absolute that if we remain steadfast in unity, we will enjoy peaceful co-existance,” the Chief Kadhi said.

At Sir Ali grounds in Nairobi, faithful dressed in traditional Muslim clothes filled the expansive grounds such that several rounds of prayers had to be offered to accommodate them all.

Eid messages from religious and political leaders from the Muslim community were dominated by calls on the administration of President Uhuru Kenyatta to take decisive steps against graft.

“We urge the Government to take the war on graft more seriously because it is ordinary Kenyans who are paying the price of the loss of public funds through poor services,” said Sheikh Muhammad Swalihu, who led prayers at the Sir Ali grounds.

The same anti-graft message was echoed by Deputy Chief Kadhi Rashid Omar, who said the Muslim community was fully behind the war on graft to ensure public resources do not end up in the pockets of a few people.

Speaking at the same grounds, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Aden Duale asked the Muslim community to play their part in uniting Kenyans and ridding the country of the scourge of graft.

He condemned what he termed negative “profiling”, in social media, of business people from the community. “Kenyans from all communities have every right to invest and do business in any part of the country, and should not be vilified unfairly, provided they undertake legitimate activities and are paying taxes as required. We have no apologies to make,” he said.

In Mombasa, Muhdhar also emphasised the need for Muslim faithful to take part in the extra six days (Mfungo sita) upon the completion of Ramadhan.

Kassim called for urgent review of education curriculum to combine teachings on better living to inculcate good and moral behavior among students drawn from Islamic and Christian religions.

“This will go a long way in ensuring that we have a society that does not condone corruption,” he said.

On his part, Governor Joho said he had chosen to work closely with Uhuru’s government.

“As a sign of goodwill and following the historic handshake between President Uhuru and Nasa leader Raila Odinga, I am fully committed and ready to go the full length in support of it,” he said.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Najib Balala, who attended Idd prayers at Memon School, Mombasa, said Kenya was a divided nation before the handshake.

Handshake effect

“We are happy and excited with the handshake that has brought together President Kenyatta and Raila. The Coast region should not be left behind and we must all join in and support the gesture by our leaders to work together for the benefit of all Kenyans,” Balala said.

He wished all Muslims a happy Eid and pleaded with them to pray for the country’s prosperity.

Balala asked security agencies to ensure peace is maintained in the port city of Mombasa.

“Any acts of lawlessness should be dealt with seriously. The Government cannot sit pretty and watch Mombasa degenerating into a danger zone anymore,” the CS  said.

This year’s celebrations were devoid of confusion over the sighting of the moon as has happened before.

The Chief Kadhi, who chairs the moon sighting committee that sat on Thursday evening, made the public announcement to declare the end of fasting.