Former Wajir South MP Mohamud Sirat has been endorsed by his Bahgeri subclan to recapture the seat in August.
Sirat served as Wajir South MP in the 10th Parliament.
Clan elders picked him as their sole candidate on Wednesday at a ceremony held in Wajir town.
His main competitor Hussein Hassan who contested for the seat in 2017 dropped his bid.
Sultan Abdiweli Diriye, while issuing out the certificate to Sirat, said the elders considered community service, experience and educational background as well subclan dynamics.
Diriye said the process was transparent, free and fair.
He, however, said this is just the beginning of the process.
“We will now move to other subclans to seek their support because at the end of the day when Sirat wins he becomes the MP of the entire constituency, not a section,” Diriye said.
Sirat thanked the elders for their trust in him, saying he will do his best to clinch the seat and develop the constituency to new levels.
“I also want to thank my brother for shelving his ambition and opting to support me instead. I don’t take this kind gesture for granted,” he said.
Hassan said he has accepted the elders verdict for the common good and unity of the community.
Sirat will now face incumbent Mohamud Oomar, Aljazeera journalist Mohamed Adow who was endorsed in January by his Makhabul subclan and Abdullahi Yussuf of Mohamed Zubeir.
Others eyeing the seat are former MP and senator Abdirahman Olow as well as former MP Mohamud Abdirashid Yussuf and Abdullahi Mathar.
Wajir South is inhabited by the Ogaden community that is made up of four subclans-Mohamed Zubeir, Makhabul, BahGeri and Geri.
IEBC data indicates that Wajir South has 65,000 registered voters out of the 205,000 registered voters in Wajir county.
This makes Wajir South the largest single voting bloc constituency in the county.
Clans and communities in the pastoral counties have been holding meetings and making endorsements for aspirants.
The clan backing system decides on who is best-suited to carry the community’s flag in the general election.
Supporters of system say the process unites communities and strengthens cohesion.
However, critics say negotiated democracy is a sanitised system of impunity with no foundational democratic ethos or ideological framework.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
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