The Silent Governor: The genesis of Korane’s silent treatment

GARISSA—He is a man under siege from all corners. He is at the centre; calculating his moves. Veracious kicks and unrelenting blows are directed at him by his real and perceived emissaries on daily basis. He has the authority to fight back, but he chose to let his rivals guess his next move.

His name is Ali Korane, the Garissa governor whose administration is rocked by internal strife following fall-out with his deputy, Abdi Dakane. Dakane claims Korane was sidelining him in county affairs.

“I am forced to pen down this statement after enduring for more than 22 Months with a government that I am part of but with less authority as agreed in the coalition,” the disgruntled deputy governor said in a midnight post to his Facebook.

“As a principal assistant and the most senior county official from the samawadal community, I would not bargain with anybody for the rights of my people and the programs that they’re entitled to,” Dakane added.

To make good of his threats, Dakane went and held series of meetings with his Samawathal sub-clan to formally complain from his boss.

Such salvos as Dakane’s would create panic and last minute reconciliation bid from elders and stakeholders at the request of the embattled governor, but Korane has since employed  the silent treatment. He is yet to formally comment on the fall-out made public by the deputy.

Another classical example is the boiling political rift with the Majority Leader and Garissa MP, Aden Duale who continuously  attack the governor in public. Korane has mostly avoided a reaction only responding when Duale accused him of being a Khat chewer.

In a press briefing the following day at his Garissa home, Governor Korane denied being a Khat addict adding that Duale was  “making up the claim to make me look bad.”

“It’s not the first time he (Duale) accused me of being a drug addict. In 2007, he said I was a friend of the bottle,” Korane reacted with fury written all over his face.

The shooting of former Garissa CEC for Finance, Idiris Mukhtar was blamed on  Korane who is said to have participated “in the planning of the assasination” as court papers indicate. Korane has always avoided clearing his name in public only declaring his innocence once during presser outside the DCI headquarters hours after he was arrested from his house in wee raid.

Faced with internal strife, constant attack by his political nemesis and murder case hanging over his head, why did Korane opt to remain silent in the face of glaring attack on his political future, personality and reelection bid.

To understand his tactics, Kulan Post delved into his career background to draw a picture of man clinging onto hope despite tell-tale signs of impending uphill task in his re-election bid. Similar fall-out with a deputy governor once cost former Wajir county governor, Ahmed Abdullahi.

Korane served several government position over a three decade period. He served in the 2nd Lieutenant Kenya Army,  before he was posted to the 50 Air Cavalry battalion of the Kenya Army and trained as a Helicopter Pilot on the American MD 500 Tank Destroyer.

Later on, he joined the Admimistation where he once served as Provincial Commissioner of then coast province. According to people close to him, this is where Korane learnt the art of serving critism with deafening silence. We understand that it was while he was the Coast PC that Korane developed rough skin to shrug off criticism. It was a political fashion during the Nyayo era and embodied by “The Total Man”, Nicholas Biwott.

However, his silent treatment to the constant attack on his administration is slowly eating to his legacy. Kulan Post spoke to several Garissa residents who believe the governor is hiding behind the silence.

“He should tell us his side of the story. He has the platform and if at all what is said about him is anything to go by, then we have an inconsiderate man at the helm who has no close touch with the people because only the truth sets one free,” Ismail Siyat, a cloth-maker at the Suuq Mugdi said.

Others believe his silence on several touching issues on his personality and the running of county affairs could amount to contemp.

“Are we not worthy of knowing the truth?” Osman Mahdi, a rickshaw operator posed.

His ride, Khalif Abdirahman disagreed saying Korane is avoiding whirlwind and endless quarrel.

“Let them talk because we elected him to serve, not to respond to everything,” he noted.

Korane will most likely battle it out with Aden Duale, a man who openly take questions from journalists and freely respond to rival claims in public. The only issue Duale has never commented about is the alleged relations he has with Nazlim Omar.