Comments on: Scary Stories to Tell in Mombasa

By: Charity

Charity — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:43:13 +0000

I am Kenyan, I lived in Mombasa for 5 years and this has never happened to me or anyone I know.

1. Don’t go walking around at 2 am
2. When someone grabs your hand or gets too close for comfort shout and raise absolute hell.
3. The police are not your friends, stay away from them.

Stay safe

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 05:30:40 +0000

Man, that’s a crazy story. I can’t believe that kinda stuff happens in mombasa! who knew!

By: Uncle Joe Blair

Uncle Joe Blair — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 03:27:41 +0000

Paul, I’m glad you are ok. I can’t image how scared you must have been. Stay safe, we will keep you in our prayers.

By: Alan Coyne

Alan Coyne — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 07:51:01 +0000

Hi Paul,

Im sorry to hear about your frightening experience, ive seen this happen before in Kongowea, Mombasa. Where exactly did this happen? Send me an mail Paul, would be interesting to chat to you.

Im a friend of Will Ruddick’s, an Irish VSO volunteer and something similar happened to me last december. I live beside the central post office in Mombasa and, foolishly left my apartment alone at 12.30am to buy credit outside the central post office. Two uniformed cops with machine guns came up from an alley way and started aggressively shouting at me, accusing me of smoking weed, refusing to identify themselves, they tried to plant something in my pocket and then tried to drag me down a dark alleyway. I was really frightened at this stage so I defended myself and got free and I managed to run onto the lit street but they caught me again. I created a big scene, this subdued them a bit, they hand cuffed me, brought me to the police station, interrogated and threatened me and finally released me. Im pursuing the case now with a human rights NGO as i got these thug’s names and i dont want them to do this again.

As safe an all as Mombasa is, the cops are the ones you gotta watch out for, especially at night, try not to be alone although, it didn’t help Paul much!! Pole!

By: Will Ruddick

Will Ruddick — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 06:40:18 +0000

This is the third such story I have heard this month – specifically of the Mombasa police harassing and even trying to capture foreigners. Perhaps its time for a KTN feature.

Glad you are ok.

By: Lillian

Lillian — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 18:27:31 +0000

Missed your blog updates, but I was expecting this one so you could move on to other “stories”. I imagine this scenario clearly, many times (as I have been there). Hope the rest of the year brings better experiences. Leaving for the Italian festival in 1/2 hour XOXOXOXOXOXO

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 17:04:16 +0000

Ho. Lee. Crap.

Well I’m glad you’re all right, man…I’d been wondering why you hadn’t updated the blog in a while. Hope everything is going well otherwise…

By the way, around when will you be returning to the US? Seems like it’s not too far off…