Alì Salim is the owner of the small, colorful kiosk "Sultan Shop" on the promenade of Malindi, in the Arab quarter of Shela.
This has always been one of the areas put on the grid for its lack of cleanliness, also due to past faults in the collection of waste by the public administration, which now thanks also to the citizens' movement "Malindi Stakeholders" and "Malindi Green and Blue" are adjusting, together with the good will of the Municipal and the Kilifi County.
But much must also be done by the inhabitants of the neighborhood, especially as they live near the ocean, as well as postcard of Malindi is a source of income for all of them through fishing. Clean streets and houses also mean clean and healthy sea.
For this reason, the monthly cleaning of the "Malindi Clean Up" has twice stopped in Shela, along that road full of potholes but also of smiles, solidarity and old and new stories.
One of the beautiful characters you can meet is Ali the Sultan, or Ali Salim, who is definitely an example to follow for everyone in the neighborhood. Just look in front of his little shop, whose name refers to the nickname given to the Governor of Mombasa Alì Hassan Joho.
"Every day I clean everything around my kiosk - Alì tells Malindikenya.net - and I invite my customers not to throw anything but to use the baskets and new bins that have been placed in the area. We must do this for the environment and also to give a better view of Malindi around the world. I want to promote my work as you promote tourism.
Alì has witnessed the work of awareness raising carried out by the associations and movements of Malindi, along with the Municipality and the County.
"Do a great job and I am with you - explains the "Sultan" of Shela - and now I will also start to ask my neighbors to do the same in front of their activities and their homes, to improve the environment together.
And we will continue to point out who chooses this path for the good of the planet, for themselves and their business, but especially for the health of their children and future generations.