Mandera MCAs end differences, share House committees seats

Sala Ward MCA Abdirashid Maalim Osman (Jubilee) who will now head the crucial Peace and Security committee at the Mandera County Assembly following a political truce between his party and the Economic Freedom Party which has majority members. PHOTO | MANASE OTSIALO | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • EFP members took advantage of the political stalemate that rocked the county after the August General Elections.
  • Mr Hassan said the law defined what the majority party deserved and what the minority party was to control.
  • A bonding and reconciliation meeting held in Massai Mara led to an agreement to consider Jubilee members in the committees.

Members of the Mandera County Assembly have risen beyond their political alignments and agreed to share the leadership of House committees.

The ten house committees had initially been taken by the Economic Freedom Party (EFP) members that forms the majority, leaving Jubilee MCAs disgruntled.

Minority Leader Jimale Abdi Hassan said they agreed to share the committee seats in order to reduce tension in the assembly.

“EFP banked on its tyranny of numbers when we were electing leaders and members of all these committees but we have reached an agreement that led to these changes,” he said.

STALEMATE

According to Mr Hassan, EFP members took advantage of the political stalemate that rocked the county after the August General Elections and took over the committees.

“The law defining how the leadership and membership of the committees [should be] was ignored then but all members have seen the light and gone back to the drawing board,” he said.

He argued that the law defined what the majority party deserved and what the minority party was to control.

Majority Leader Abdi Adan Ali said the changes were due to political reconciliation and building bridges initiative that is sweeping across the country.

“As EFP, we have agreed to voluntarily give out some positions in the committees to Jubilee members and this was after serious negotiations,” he said.

RECONCILIATION

He said a bonding and reconciliation meeting held in Massai Mara led to an agreement to consider Jubilee members in the committees.

“It was about voting members in these committees and EFP used its numbers in taking charge of all committees but since politics are over, we are now one team that has to work for the good of Mandera,” said Mr Ali.

He said the changes cantered on building a mutual a working relationship and sharing responsibilities in the assembly.

“Jubilee members are part of the assembly and we have to discharge our duties as MCAs equally,” said the majority leader.

Out of the ten committees, Jubilee got the chairman’s position of one and nine vice chairman positions.

Peace and Security committee will be chaired by Sala Ward MCA Abdirashid Maalim Osman who is a Jubilee member.

“I am very ready to carry out my duties and I will work to ensure peace, unity and cohesion is maintained among our clans that are ever fighting,” he said.

PROMOTE PEACE

Mr Osman promised to work with the executive in ensuring peace prevails in Mandera and also engage national security teams in finding a solution to the terror menace in Mandera.

“I have to present assembly recommendations to the national government security apparatus in Mandera on how we can best fight terrorism,” he said.

Another beneficiary of this reconciliation process is Mr Noor Mohamud Abdinur, the only ODM member in the 48-member assembly.

Mr Abdinur will be deputising the Health Committee Chairman Shabaan Hassan Hillow.

“Every member is satisfied with the new arrangement and time to work for the people of Mandera is now since our political differences no longer decide [how] decisions [are made],” said Mr Ali, the majority leader.

Mandera has experienced a political stalemate since the last election after EFP claimed that Governor Ali Roba (Jubilee) of unfairly defeated their candidate, Mr Hassan Noor Hassan.