State House Iftar Dinner, applauding President Ruto for ending historical injustices

On Monday evening - the 29th day of Ramadhan 2024 - President William Ruto continued his tradition of hosting the Muslim community for an Iftar dinner in State House. Iftar is the the meal eaten by Muslims at sunset to break their fast during Ramadan. This is the second Iftar hosted by the President since coming to power. 

It’s quite noticeable that President Ruto’s presidency is a fresh breath of air. Ruto imbues hope and confidence within the country’s teeming mass of unemployed, techies and sometimes well educated youths who were let down by previous regimes.

The President stressed on unity and why his administration is for all regardless of faith or social status. While addressing the gathering composed of cabinet ministers, Diplomats, senior government officials, Muslim religious leaders and the general Muslim community, the president said that “Islam is a strong faith that offers not only inspiration but also many lessons to others. The commitment of Muslims to their faith is admirable.”

Attendees of the State House Iftar dinner leveraged their direct interaction with the President to discuss issues of paramount importance to the Muslim community. Professor Abdulatif Essajee of Jamia Mosque committee, speaking on behalf of the Muslim community gathered there, appealed to the president the need for a Sheria compliant Hustler Fund so that Muslim youth and entrepreneurs could take advantage of the president’s pet project - the hustler fund - since Muslims are forbidden from interest based transactions and the president assured that the “Hustler fund will soon have a Sheria complaint component to enable the Muslim community benefit from the fund.”

Also the president reiterated his commitment to end historical injustices by declaring that “Starting Next month (May 2024) there will be no vetting for Kenyans who want to get ID cards.” Vetting has been a major impediment for a section of the Kenyan society in getting the national identity card.  Most of the speakers also thanked the president for ending extrajudicial killings which have been rampant in the previous regimes. The Nubian community also welcomed the president gesture of gazetting them as one of the tribes of this country. This was long overdue. 

The Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua praised Defense Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale and other Muslims in charge of security dockets for helping the president in ensuring the country is safe stating that “We must admit (as Kenyans) that the people who helped the president keep the country safe are led by Muslims.” 

Indeed it was a memorable event and we thank the president for inviting us to a sumptuous Iftar. Honored and humbled to have attended it. 

Wishing all a happy Eid Al Fitr. Eid Mubarak to you all. 

Right of Reply: Of UDM, political minnows and why the restive North must queue behind Duale

 To begin with, UDM was allegedly bought with proceeds of pilfered county funds. Funds that were meant to better lives of the people. Never ending droughts and sick hospitals in that county notwithstanding. There’s a pastoralist proverb that says Dibi booli aah weyl xalal madalo.

NEP is privileged to be blessed with a leader who is a voice for the voiceless and fair in his dealings with them. That’s Hon Duale, the former longtime Garissa Township MP, first Leader of Majority and the current Cabinet Secretary for Defense.

Why should we subject NEP to political minnows who are after their selfish, parochial interests ala UDM and it’s clueless members? Above all, NEP can’t be served by a village briefcase party that is run by a man who hops from one coalition to the other just for his own survival.

How do you trust such a character with a region that needs development? Roba has trust deficit. Anyone can register a party. Anyone can buy a party, more so when you have emptied the coffers of a whole county! To have a party is one thing, to use it for the betterment of all is a

different thing altogether. UDM doesn’t represent the aspirations of NEP. Let’s not be excited by small things. NEP should see the bigger picture and queue behind the most progressive, transformative leader NEP has produced, Aden Bare Duale.

Nice weekend.

Duale’s farewell address to parliament touching, oozing wisdom

 Duale’s farewell speech as he exists the legislature and joins the Executive was great. What a transition! It goes without saying that  Aden Duale will be missed in parliament. A pretty independently minded guy whose shoes can’t be filled. Garissa Township lost big this evening but they have loaned the nation a good fortune by allowing their progressive MP to serve our nation. Hope Duale’s replacement will be up to the task and serve Garissa Township better. 

Unlike many MPs and specially from the restive North, Aden Duale always knew why he was elected an MP. He’s a man of the people. He’s good on the bread and butter issues which hit ordinary people so hard. Aden Duale has always strived to provide a more honest and honourable, progressive political leadership than the predatory negotiated system we’ve developed in the north. 

Duale has always bypassed the petty clan politics and got elected 4 consecutive terms thanks to the cosmopolitan nature of his constituency. Garissa Township is a community within a constituency and not a slice of somewhere else like most seats in that part of the region.

May Garissa Township constituency get the kind of leader it deserves as Duale leaves for national duty. As he takes over the defense ministry, we people of Northern Kenya thank president William Ruto for appointing Duale the Cabinet Secretary for Defense.

May Allah make it easy for you all. 

Abdul Haro, The vocal MP who has been ‘Studying’ Mandera South for the last 20 years.

The 13th parliament is the most diverse ever, including a record number of women. In Northern Kenya, where clan politics - a system that is entirely out of date, cumbersome and unbusinesslike method of running a whole region - is the order of the day in every election, quite a number of youthful leaders resisted the archaic model of politics  and emerged winners in the recently held general election and many see this as an opportunity for the region to overcome some of the barbaric political cultures it has practiced since time immemorial. 

Since the advent of devolution a decade ago, Northern Kenya has witnessed the emergence of huge numbers of clan-less, well informed young people who have a powerful desire for change and who could dramatically influence the region’s future. 

Northern Kenya’s youthful leaders are burning with ambition and have a desire to see a better region, one that is free from hunger, diseases and droughts.

In an attempt to understand what the young parliamentarians from NEP are up to, I did a virtual one-on-one with Mandera South MP Abdul Haro. 

Here are the excerpts…

Who is Abdul Ebrahim Haro (Kore)? 

I was  born in at the old town of Elwak, in Mandera South, Mandera County. 

Kore is a Masters’ degree holder in Diplomacy and International conflicts Management.

As a candidate, I believe I was the most experienced in the politics of Mandera South than any of the Candidates in the 2022 parliamentary race. I’m also most focused in terms of ensuring there is equity and building of trust between all the stakeholders in Mandera South in its cosmopolitan nature.

The 2022 election was a special moment for me. Some twenty years ago (2002), I made my most serious attempt in contesting for the Mandera Central Parliamentary seat (now Mandera South). Hon Kore, as a candidate and now an MP, has cut an image of one who is not isolated from the people, who feels the pain of the common man and woman, and one who shares the dreams of his constituents and one who draws his strength and wisdom from the people he represents.

Twenty years, ago when I made my first debut, I was a young man in his early twenties, fresh from university and a political greenhorn. I touched the hearts of many but was not lucky to make it to Parliament because I was pitted against well experienced and resourced politicians at the time . Most of my supporters then were the youth and women, majority of whom had no IDs and votes by then.

The last twenty years have therefore been like a school for me, politically speaking. I must have learnt a lot during the period. In that period, I had seen 4 MPs ascend to power in Mandera South (Kerrow, Abdikadir Lawyer, Huka, Kullow) and had also witnessed all of them voted out at some point. I therefore believe that I learnt many lessons from their ascending to and descending from power; also learnt about the vision and development issues for Mandera south during this period. During that period, I have had the opportunity to work with international non-governmental organizations and acquired useful experience in leadership and development.

Simply put, the last twenty years I have been “studying” Mandera South Politics and it has taught me useful lessons about how leaders miss the point, how the citizen priorities are ignored and how bad politics have caused misery and bad life for the people. 

I believe that integrity, courage, hope and people sensitive development are important ingredients of good leadership. 

What is your plan for Mandera South? Having studied the constituency for the last twenty years, I know what is affecting Mandera South, the energy crisis (power blackout), water crisis, drought and livestock Matters, the economy especially those running small businesses, I have talked about the Elwak Market issues on several occasions and equally we have talked about matters of security, peace, coexistence and boundary disputes. We have also talked about youth joblessness, identity cards, bursary etc. I know my constituency well and know the problems of my people and we have concrete plans for Mandera South and I promise to narrow the problems of our constituency to three enemies…  illiteracy, Poverty and hunger. 

There is currently a devastating drought in your constituency in particular and Northern Kenya in general. What’s your take? 

The drought is cyclic and we have tried short term fixes from time immemorial. While this has helped in the short term, we need long term solutions in terms of addressing issues/ policies that will create an enabling environment that will make it easy for our people to live with the drought situation. The drought will not go away. We need to prepare to live with it. 

What are your plans and is there is any support for small businesses and start ups by the youngsters in your constituency?  

Yes, this is an issue of priority for my constituency. Unfortunately, CDF does not cover this area directly but I will work with the County Government to push for workable programmes to realize this objective. My Governor has prioritized this in his election manifesto and we will push the county government to actualise this. We will also talk to friends and well wishers in the non governmental and private sector to invest in this area.

The world is flat and technological advancements have opened up places than never before. How do you plan to use technology to transform Mandera South? 

The first priority for me is to make sure that all the areas in my constituency are not covered by electricity are covered and the mobile networks are fixed because without these many opportunities that are available online to many youth in other parts of the world will not be available to youths in my constituency and the region. We will then build the capacity of the youth through training and awareness programs to make use of technology to advance their socio economic well-being 

The county government of Mandera has pledged to support and reduce the burden of doing business. Any contribution to this in relation to your constituency? 

Yes, we will definitely contribute to this both in terms of encouraging and ensuring there is public participation and citizen engagement in the whole programme…we will support assessments and development of strategic plans to advance this course.

Mandera generally bearing the brunt of insecurity. As an MP for a border constituency, what’s your plans for handling insecurity in partnership with relevant stakeholders? 

Indeed this is one area I will make sure I have cooperated with the relevant national government institutions as well as ensuring that security policies and guidelines are applied on a conflict sensitive manner as welll as ensuring that there is trust building between the security service providers and the security services consumers.  I will make sure we address all security matters proactively with prevention in mind instead of reacting to incidences when they happen.

Mandera suffers from acute shortage of teachers and insecurity has contributed to the mass relocation of teachers. How are you going to handle this crisis as far as Mandera South is concerned? 

The TSC policy of encouraging non local teachers to live Northeastern while at the same time using the region as recruitment ground for non local teachers is unfortunate to say the list…this must change and favorable policies developed to make sure education in the region is given equal attention like the other parts of the country for the country’s attaining universal education. 

And finally: What is your association with the Hustler government, if any? 

We have signed a post-election agreement with Kenya Kwanza therefore we are a key stakeholder in the Hustler government.  We are happy to support the legislative agenda of the hustlers government. The bottom up policy which is the cardinal tenet of the hustler government is what we need in my constituency and the northeastern region. 

None Of The Current NEP Governors Deserve Re-election.

As gubernatorial candidates and other political aspirants jostle for power in northeastern, it’s important to note that the region has not witnessed any meaningful development since the advent of devolution despite reports on how the national government has disbursed money to counties since devolution began in 2013 showing previously marginalized counties have gained the most. 

Mandera, Wajir and Garissa - some of the the biggest beneficiaries in relative terms - have received close to a combined Sh250 billion over the last nine or so years. This region previously bore the brunt of the centralized system that had been in place from independence in 1963 to 2013, when devolved units were formed.

So why is the region still lagging behind? It’s therefore safe to say Mandera, Wajir and Garissa have been marginalized by their governors and the privileged few that fly almost every day between Nairobi and NEP powered by devolved corruption. 

A recent governance poll focusing on the 47 governors' development and approval ratings ranked Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi as the worst performing governor. Likewise both Mandera and Garissa governors were in the bottom ten of the list. Yet Ai Bunow and Ambassador Mohamed Abdi are seeking reelection while Mandera’s Roba wants to ‘downgrade’ to a Senator so as to ‘protect’ his legacy of misgovernance. 

In every election year, it’s the norm in NEP for low budget sultans, donning cheap Kanzus, and clan power brokers to position themselves to catch some of the campaign funds - money mostly looted from public coffers- that are spent oiling the wheels of patronage as politicians exchange briefcases of shillings for clan votes and allegiances. The so called Sultans mortgage their clansmen for few pennies at the expense of five years’ development plan. Campaign politics is an industry all by itself in Northern Kenya. The amounts being spent are eye-popping, and enough to sustain a huge array of influence peddlers and political jobbers. 

There is financial wastage and runaway graft in Mandera, Wajir and Garissa and the Auditor General has severally flagged down these three counties for Irregular procurement, questionable pending bills and stalled projects. Roba and his fellow governors from NEP also appeared before the Senate’s county public accounts and investments committee over damning financial audit reports and key queries on theft of public money. 

As we head to the August elections, the people of these three counties need to put clan emotions aside and elect responsible leaders for sake of their own development and the future of their children. NEP can’t afford another decade of plundering. 

The Cop Who Helps The Vulnerable And Refines Police Image

VOICES OF THE NORTH

When you think of a selfless police cop with a touch of finesse and pulchritude, you will probably have him in mind. Alas! That is Mohammed Ahmed Omar, the perfect gentleman of a police officer who hails from Garissa county, North Eastern.

The young officer joined the police service sometimes 2006 after graduating from Utali college where he earned a diploma in tour operations. Due to his footballing talent, Mohamed was noticed by a senior police officer who requested him to join the national police football team. Six months after playing football for the police team, he got convinced and joined the police service and played for three years before quitting the beautiful game due to injuries. 

The issue of my being here today - my current duty station- started from when I entered the job, I took a strong vow to serve my country and fellow citizens and that is why who I am, said Mohamed. Social media is full of stories praising him for his outstanding work and the people he has helped in one way or the other in line of duty. 

The gallant police officer has won the hearts of many after going an extra mile to help a woman and her son who was suffering from cancer but could not get a passport to travel to India for specialized treatment.

Mohamed Ahmed, who is attached to the Immigration department, Nairobi, says the story of that woman and her ailing child was so touching that he had to do everything possible to help her and ensured she got the passport within a day despite her tribulations while seeking it. Many praised him for that noble act when the story went viral on social media.

Mohamed said that sometimes policeman’s life is threatened, “but the beautiful thing is that at the end of the day, when we go out of our way to help the people we are meant to serve, we earn respect and get confidence not only from my colleagues but also from the public.” 

Here’s how the interview went...

Who is Mohamed Ahmed? 

I was born and and raised in Garissa and schooled in Tana River. Later joined Utali college and graduated with Diploma in tour operations. 

So how did you end up in the police service after Utali? 

While working for a tour agency agency, I used to play football a lot and I was good at it.  

A senior police officer requested me to join the national police football team. Six months after playing for the team, I joined the police service and trained as a police officer. After that I played for the police team for three more years. Due to injuries, I quit the beautiful game.  

My first posting as a police officer was in Isiolo county where served for for one year and later Kitale and then Nairobi. Due to the good relation I developed with the public, I got seconded to Nyayo House, Immigration department. 

Family?

I'm the second born in a family of six. Raised by my both patents. It’s important that children get the opportunity to be raised by their both parents. My dad passed away sometimes early 2022 

I’m a father of one boy. 

How do you unwind?

As a passionate footballer, I rarely miss a football match especially the premier league and also have a test for movies and captivating series.. Also love touring places when time allows and above all I love helping humanity. 

Which is the most moving story you encountered in your line of duty? 

My encounter with a mother who applied for a passport for her son who was a cancer patient is one story I will never forget. She had difficulty in getting the passport for the boy, 9 years old. 

One morning while reporting for duty, I found a woman sitting at the entrance of Nyayo House dejected and depressed for not able to getting the vital document. 

It took her about five minutes to compose herself to narrate her story to me. I took  her details and followed her case up. I made sure by all means that the passport was out the same day and ensured her she gets in a day. When she came back the following day I couldn’t remember her face because I deal with many people but I had her passport. When she introduced herself, I recognized, gave her the passport and she could not believe. She was crying for close to ten minutes and at the same time praying for me.  After three days she came back and when I asked her why she’s back she told me that she came to thank me and the team but to also tell me that her son  died. It was such a sad story. 

How will you describe yourself? 

Humble, believes in helping humanity and believe in the positive image of the police service and it’s only through our actions that we will have a positive impact on society. 

We are not in the police service to earn salary or to gain power but to touch lives and empower the vulnerable civilians. 

Why Duale Will Deliver The North to The Hustler Nation

There is no one from the pastoralists’ political landscape who can whip a crowd quite like him. Nor is there any politician from the restive North with his special talents for handling political foes. From a junior politician in the 10th Parliament to a political bigwig in the 11th and 12th Parliament, Duale commands huge  support across the North – the political base of the pastoralists - not basing on tribal cocoons compared to his foes and has earned the respect and admiration of the North. Indeed he is the indisputable kingpin of the pastoralist community and the Muslim Ummah.

Patronage from his followers is overwhelming, above all, to his political opponents who deploy all means to thwart his political determination. But, he has outshined their conspiracies innumerable epochs and emerged as the winner. Refer to him as the Member of Parliament for Garissa Township or rather the first Majority Leader of Kenya’s National Assembly, Adan Barre Duale. 

The effect of Hon Adan Duale’s national position – Majority Leader of the National Assembly – has been felt across Northern Kenya; from Marsabit to Mandera, Moyale to Masalani just to name a few.

Before Jubilee came to power, Garissa residents – and the region at large - were treated to frequent power blackouts as businesses often came to a halt due to lack of energy. In those days, electricity was a preserve of few and those in urban areas and businesses in rural areas were left to find alternative ways of operating. 

Things are different today. That part of the country has been connected to the national grid. The Kenya Kwanza Coalition government's goal of electricity access by all will be achieved and the North won’t be left behind since NEP’s celebrated son will deliver its fair share.

History has been made courtesy of the Garissa Township MP. Mind you, he’s vying for his 4th consecutive term. Uninterrupted. That shows the love his people have for him.

There is a clear indication of Dr William Ruto’s incoming administration’s interest in developing the restive north and such plans will definitely change the economic aspect of Northern Kenya positively since investors will be attracted to the region due to the availability of power and other related infrastructure necessary for business. The hustler nation unveiled its plan for the region early this year while campaigning in Wajir. Hon Duale, as the undisputed kingpin of the pastoralist politics, has a say in all these and how they unfold.

On Nomadic animal husbandry, once the hustlers form a government after the elections, it has plans to upgrade the Independent Livestock Authority with the objective of providing a ready market for the Pastoralists livestock. The Kenya Kwanza coalition has a plan to ensure the north get Equalization Fund to assist the marginalized areas in providing basic services to bring the region’s  development at par with the rest of the country.

Infrastructure-wise, the road from Garissa to Madogashe is complete and  being used. It has indeed eased transportation of people, goods and of course livestock - the livelihood of Northern Kenya. This road bears the leadership signature of Hon Duale. He lobbied for it when he was the majority leader and ensured it’s delivered. Also Dr Ruto has a blueprint to unlock the region’s infrastructural need as there are plans plan to connect the region with itself and other parts of the country.

Duale’s record as far as Garissa Township constituency is concerned speaks for itself and it’s a story for another day. 

Lately, the Majority Leader has locked horns with his opponents in their attempt to register a tribal, individualistic political party in the name of UDM to ‘’fight for pastoralists interest’’ when in the real sense it’s the political vehicle of one outgoing Governor who is reportedly accused of looting his county and now purporting to contest for a senatorial seat to salvage his capsizing political boat and probably escape accountability. The outgoing Governor also knows that his own political star cannot shine brighter than the seat he currently enjoys. The writing is on the wall!

Hate or love him, the first Majority Leader of Kenya Hon Adan Barre Duale remains the kingpin of the Pastoralists’ political landscape. Hon Duale knows the way, goes the way and shows the way! And the Pastoralists have no option but to be with him. And sure they will.