COUNTY POLITICS: Incumbent Garsen MP's exit from race ignites campaigns

What you need to know:

  • The first-time Jubilee Party lawmaker defeated nine other candidates in the 2013 General Election after getting 9,271 votes.

  • His decision not to seek re-election has sparked interest from both seasoned politicians and newcomers, all eyeing the seat.

  • They include Joel Amuma Ruhu, who emerged second in 2013 with 5,812 votes.

The unprecedented early exit of Ibrahim Ahmed Sane, the current Garsen Member of Parliament, from active politics has sparked a flurry of early campaigns, with 13 aspirants declaring their bid for the seat.

Mr Sane, a fierce critic of Governor Hussein Dado, announced recently that he will not defend his seat, while accusing the county boss of sponsoring candidates to oust him.

“I will now work with other leaders to ensure he (Governor) is also not re-elected. Governor Dado no longer has the votes he garnered in the last General Election,” said Mr Sane.

The first-time Jubilee Party lawmaker defeated nine other candidates in the 2013 General Election after getting 9,271 votes.

His decision not to seek re-election has sparked interest from both seasoned politicians and newcomers, all eyeing the seat. They include Mr Joel Amuma Ruhu, who emerged second in 2013 with 5,812 votes.

The constituency in Tana Delta Sub-county, suffered the worst tribal clashes between 2007 and 2008, where more than 160 people were killed and thousands others displaced.

However, peace building mechanisms by various players, who include the national and county governments, have so far borne fruit, with the communities involved resolving not to allow a repeat of the clashes.

With this in mind, a number of aspirants have vowed to preach peace during their campaigns while at the same time, pledging to transform the region’s education, agriculture and livestock sectors.

Political commentators say even though peace and cohesion is a key campaign strategy in this year’s election, tribal and clan realignments will play a major role in influencing the outcome of the polls.

HAVE BEGUN

Each of the three dominant communities of Orma, Pokomo and Wardey have lined up a number of aspirants for the seat. Their respective councils of elders have, in the meantime, begun to vet the “right candidates”.

Three candidates from Mr Sane’s Wardey community have expressed interest in the seat.

They include former County Trade executive Abdi Bile, Mr Welly Abdi Duro, a GSU officer who resigned to join politics, and a fresh university graduate, Mr Anwar Mahmoud.

Mr Bile, a trained teacher with a master’s degree is considered by many as the front runner due to his vast academic qualifications and work experience.

He recently opposed the endorsement of Mr Duro by some Wardey elders while vowing not to shelve his political ambitions.

On the other hand, three candidates from the Orma community have also expressed interest in the seat.

They are former Tana Delta sub-county administrator Mohammed Juge, former Governor Dado’s adviser Ali Wario and Mr Mohammed Salad, who resigned as an Administration Police officer to join politics.

In an interview, Mr Juge told the Nation he stepped down in 2013 in favour of Mr Sane, under the Orma-Wardey power sharing agreement.

“I shelved my ambitions because of the elders’ decision. I now expect Mr Sane to support my candidature under the power sharing deal between our communities,” added Mr Juge, who will vie on a Democratic Party of Kenya ticket.

A source at the region’s Council of Elders known as Jaarsa Mata Dedha intimated that Mr Juge will likely be endorsed.

The Pokomo, which has two main groups of Malanchini (Lower Tana) and Wantu wa Dzuu (Upper Tana), have six aspirants.

ALL CONTESTED

Four hopefuls – Mr Joel Amuma Ruhu, Mr Frankfaith Makorani Ddaiddo, Ms Irene Matsawi Fibe and Mr Ali Wayu Komora – all contested the 2013 General Election.

The other two aspirants – Mr Maurice Dullu and Mr Bernard Matheka – are the new entrants in the contest. The former is involved in a dispute over a primary conducted by the Pokomo Council of Elders that he controversially won.

Mr Ruhu, a Ford Kenya national official, accused some elders of “stage managing” the primaries, under influence of some “powerful individuals” who want to knock him out of the race.

“The primaries were supposed to be conducted right from the village up to the constituency level to determine who among the aspirants is popular, but some biased elders staged a fake one at the constituency level and announced Mr Dullu as the winner without involving all candidates,” he added.

Political pundits observe that failure by the Pokomo to settle on one candidate will favour those endorsed by the Orma and Wardey.

“There has been internal differences between the two major Pokomo groups. The Malanchini has dominated Garsen politics since independence and the Wantu wa Dzuu feel that this is their moment to produce the flag bearer,” said a local administrator.