County News
Duale and the uphill task of convincing North Eastern Kenya to vote for Jubilee in 2017 polls
By: ABIDKADIR OKASH
GARISSA—The Jubilee party has tasked Majority Leader in the National Assembly Aden Duale to win the hearts and minds of the Northern voters , but his assignment is proving to be a hard nut to crack.
In the last six month, the Garissa Township MP has been to Garissa, Wajir and Mandera counties a dozen times in a bid to convince the locals to vote for his Jubilee bosses–President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto.
Garissa Township MP with Wajir governor Ahmed Abduallahi at a fund drive in Habaswein. PHOTO/ FACEBOOK
The opposition to Jubilee’s enticing campaigns in the last 6 months is slowly turning to a revolution of sorts thanks to Senator Billow Kerrow and Ahmed Abdullahi of Wajir County who have openly told off Duale over Jubilee move.
“The time of shepherding us to support a party of not our choice is long gone,” the Wajir governor said at Ademasajida on Saturday during a fund-drive for a local Madrasa where Duale was the chief guest.
The comment caught Duale off guard since moments earlier, he was all praise of the governor and his track-record.
“The fruits of devolution being enjoyed by the underdeveloped counties was championed by Cord co-principal Raila Odinga. Kenya will be better off in the hands of Cord,” governor Ahmed said.
“It is everyone’s right to debate for his or her side but my side should also be respected,” he added.
In the last general elections in 2013, Wajir County overwhelmingly voted for Orange Democratic Movement and is thus considered an opposition stronghold.
Towards the end of March this year, MPs, governors and senators from Isiolo, Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Turkana, West Pokot, Baringo, Laikipia, Samburu, Tana River, Lamu, Kajiado and Narok counties convened a never-heard-before Pastoralist Leadership Summit held at the Samburu Simba Lodge in Isiolo County to express their displeasure at the Jubilee government.
The leaders from the pastoral communities met to form a party of their own to increase their bargaining power in the next elections.
However Duale—the chairman of the North Eastern Parliamentary group—was against the formation of the party. He said the pastrolist have found “water and pasture” in Jubilee, a sentiment that was not received well in the summit.
“What shows that we are key stakeholders in the Jubilee government… other than the Sh168 billion sent to 14 counties inhabited by pastoralists in the past three year?” the outgoing Mandera senator Billow Kerrow asked.
He added, “In these counties, all the human development indicators are missing.”
The formation of the party has since been stalled.
In the pecking order, Mr Duale is the third most powerful figure in Jubilee’s political hierarchy and an affront on him is likely to attract counter-insurgency measures from the establishment.
