By Nuru Salim
Residents of the Coast Province have drawn a line to oppose a Bill that could wipe out the Coast Development Authority (CDA), warning that dissolving the agency would stall projects that have changed lives across the region.
Speaking during a public participation forum in Kilifi County, residents from Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, Taita Taveta and Tana River defended CDA as a key driver of development. They cautioned that the Regional Development Authorities Laws (Repeal) Bill, 2026, would disrupt ongoing projects and deepen the marginalization of vulnerable communities.
The Bill, sponsored by Majority Leader Kimani Ichung'wah, seeks to dissolve six authorities: CDA, Tana and Athi Rivers, Kerio Valley, Ewaso Ng'iro North and South, and Lake Basin Development Authorities. If passed, the National Treasury and the Public Service Commission would take over their operations, staff and assets, proponents citing that the authorities have fulfilled their mandates and that consolidation would ease pressure on the national budget.
Kwale Civil Society Consortium Convenor Fakii Omar said MPs conducted rushed public forums before without cross checking its development impact like the NG-CDF. He argued the same logic should not be used against CDA, which has delivered results and filled gaps county governments may not adequately address.
He called for the Bill to be rejected, saying it fails to reflect the priorities and aspirations of the communities it affects. "Decisions on the future of thede authorities cannot be made without meaningful public participation and the lived experiences of the people who benefit from them," He said.
Mohammed Mwachausa, founder of SambaSports Youth Agenda and a Kwale resident, warned that cross-county projects like Mwache Dam and Malindi Intergrated Social Health Development Programme (MSHDIP) would be hit hard if the authority is dissolved.
"Opposing this Bill is exactly what we elected our MPs to do. They must look at the transformation CDA has brought to our communities. Rejecting this Bill will be an act of standing with the residents and the marginalized people of the Coast," he said.
Ganze MP Kazungu Tungule, who also chaired the meeting assured residents that their memorandum would be tabled in Parliament.
The committee later toured projects said to be at risk, including the Mjanaheri-Ngomeni road and the Malindi Sub-County Hospital, where CDA has partnered with the Italian government to develop Intensive Care and High Dependency units.
CDA was established through an Act of Parliament in 1990 and revised in 1992 to give the Coast a dedicated agency to plan, coordinate and implement integrated development. It was meant to harness the region's rich natural and marine resources, boost food security, create jobs and reduce poverty, while covering Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu, Mombasa, Taita Taveta, Tana River, parts of southern Garissa and the Exclusive Economic Zone.