Garissa: Garissa Senator Abdul Mohamed Haji has urged communities in the region to unite for a common cause ahead of the coming General Election to ensure that their interests are taken seriously.
According to Kenya News Agency, Haji emphasized that politics is about numbers, and their unity is critical in pushing the development agenda to the national table where decision-making occurs. He added that this would ensure local communities are not left out when national resources are distributed. Haji, who is vying for the Garissa gubernatorial seat during the 2027 polls, made these remarks following the endorsement from his local clan elders to contest in a region largely dominated by clan politics.
Haji highlighted that every conversation adds perspective, every engagement strengthens understanding, and every handshake carries the responsibility to move forward together, ensuring that Garissa County residents live in harmony. He expressed that engagements with various clans provide an opportunity to reflect and shape the political future of the community, ensuring that the consensus aligns with the aspirations of local communities.
The Senator recounted his outreach efforts to the Auliyan sub-clan and talks with the Sonqaat family of the larger Cowliyahan community, led by Ugas Bishar Dawiye Hujale, after initially receiving endorsement from his Samawathal Clan. The talks come in the backdrop of a 2022 pre-election deal with the Auliyan clan that led to Governor Nathif Jama’s election in a county where clan elders have the final say on democratic processes.
The three major sub-clans in Garissa County, including the Auliyan, Abdwaq, and Samawathal communities, have in successive polls settled on a single candidate on a rotational basis. Haji intends to vie on a UDA party ticket. The meeting, held in Garissa town, was attended by the Sultanate of the Auliyan community led by Sultan Hamud Sheikh, Daadab legislator Farah Maalim, and Lagdera MP Abdikarin Zeitun, among others.
