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Roba terms Kerrow “Facebook senator” as rival leaders trade barbs in separate rallies in same day

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By: Ahmed Abdirashid Haji

MANDERA—County Governor Cpt Ali Roba and Senator Billow Kerrow have traded barbs at a separate rallies in Mandera town this week over latest fall-out between the elected leaders in the county and the Garre Council of elders.

Governor cpt Ali Roba while addressing the public on Jamuhuri day.

Governor cpt Ali Roba while addressing the public on Jamuhuri day. Photo/ COURTESY

The governor slammed the senator as an unfair critic and branded him “Facebook senator”.

“He sits at his cozy Nairobi office and then criticize us on Facebook.

“We are telling him to go round the county to see the development we brought,” the governor said amid cheers from the crowd he was addressing.

On his part, senator Kerrow accused the governor of mismanaging the county funds.

“Since the inception of devolution, Mandera County received more than sh 30 billion and there is no tangible and visible project in the county,” Kerrow said without explaining further.

Terming some of the projects as white elephant, Kerrow insisted that Roba is a leader that cannot be trusted, saying he reneged on a pledge to abide by elder decision.

“He made an oath before the elders that he will abide by their decision only to turn out to be a hypocrite,” Kerrow noted.

The Council of Garre Elders laid out a consensus ahead of the 2013 election where it was “agreed” that the county leadership would be rotational.

However, some section of civil society orgernisations and leaders within the Garre community defied the directive, saying the plan lacks accountability and encourages impunity.

The political leaders in the Garre clan among them Governor Roba, Mandera South MP, Banisa MP and Mandera West MP have rejected the plan to have the rotational politics in place, arguing that the decision was not people-based.

Governor Roba was the first elected official to protest the directive, saying the process was not above board and laced with malice.

He was vaguely referring to Senator Kerrow who was first to come out in support of the elder decision.

A fortnight after the elder decision was published by Kulan Post, a group of elders representing the sub-clans within the Garre clan met at a Nairobi hotel where they rejected the decision and the 2017 gameplan, saying it was not all-inclusive.

On a Facebook post dated 31 October, Kerrow defended the decision of the elders.

“I strongly disagree with the pedestrian assertion that the proposal by the Garre elders will encourage eating culture,” Kerrow posted.

He was reacting to a comment by the governor where he argued that rotational politics would deny accountability and encourage impunity.

“A person of integrity will not engage in corruption irrespective of his term in office. For an administration steeped in corruption, it makes it worse to extend the term,” the senator argued without hinting on how the elder decision would instill accountability if the leaders will not have to seek mandate from the public.

As the election period approaches, Jubilee party is watching from a safe distance while ODM is preparing to scavenge.

 

 

 

 

 

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