Balala travels to ancestral home in Yemen after 17 years

The FFI Vice President took to social media on Sunday intimating that he went to visit his friends and family in Seiyun and was received by government dignitaries

"Received by Under Secretary of the Governate of Hadhramouth Eng. Hisham Al Saeedi," he Tweeted.

"D.G of Security Brig. General Abdulla Salmeen Bin Habish, D.G Ministry of Tourism Ali Muhammad Al Saggaf, Seiyun International Airport and Airforce staff led by Brig. General Sadiq Bakhit and Clan Chief Sheikh Saleh Mabkhout Balala, community leaders, friends, and family."

Balala was born in Mombasa in 1967, and up until this point, he has resided there.

The longest-serving Tourism CS on Kenyan soil, he entered politics in 1998 at the age of 30, and left in 2022 after handing over to CS Peninah Malonza.

A week after leaving, he was given the position of FFI, where he will use his extensive knowledge of wildlife conservation and tourism to aid the NGO in upcoming projects both domestically and abroad.