Degodia King Wabar Abdille on Tuesday received 101 camels from the Saransoor community living in Wajir county.
Wabar leads the Degodia clan globally. Besides Kenya, they inhabit parts of Southern Somalia and Southern Ethiopia.
He arrived in the country on November 29 and visited the community to promote brotherhood and peaceful coexistence so prosperity can prevail. The gifts were part of a long-standing tradition in which the host community rewards a visiting king with one male and 100 female camels for his role in unity and peacebuilding advocacy.
The colourful ceremony was attended by local politicians and clerics, led by Governor Mohamed Abdi. Abdi said they were greatly honoured to host the cultural leader. He said the community is guided by its traditional leadership, which espouses religious values and culture.
"He is our symbol of unity and brought us a message of peace, unity and prayer that resonate with us all. He is leaving us more united and ready to tackle the challenges ahead of us as a community. I urge Wajir residents to keep to Wabar's call at all times," the county chief said.
"It is our hope that Wabar's prayers for peace and prosperity are accepted by Allah to leave a long-lasting impact on our people."
Eldas MP Adan Keynan shared similar remarks. He thanked Wabar and his delegation for the visit, saying a community can only prosper if it has respected cultural leaders, whom members look up to for guidance.
"For us, Wabar, who is our king, is the glue that binds us. As Wajirians, we are truly humbled to have hosted him and his delegation. He leaves us more united," the vocal legislator said.
Wabar expressed his gratitude and appealed to residents to maintain peace. He spoke at Wajir Airstrip before leaving for Mandera where he was to conclude his tour. He urged the Somali community and its leadership to shun clannism and forge unity to create an environment conducive to economic development.
The supreme leader said he was shocked by the terror attack on a Mandera-bound bus last Friday. Al Shabaab was blamed for the tragedy that left 11 people dead.
"I said yesterday and I will repeat. It's good that we be honest with each other and stop beating around the bush. These people don’t come from the air. They pass through our villages either by foot or using vehicles. As a good citizen, why can't you pass this information to relevant authorities when you spot them?" he told residents.
Last week, Wabar was conferred with a medal of the Elder of the Burning Spear (EBS) by President Uhuru Kenyatta at State House, Nairobi.
Degodias have a unique traditional system of leadership. Supreme authority is vested in the king and exercised through a consultative process that brings together community representatives (guurti) and council of elders. Wabar has 15 advisors and more than 100 councils of elders. Succession is determined by descent, with the crown inherited through family lineage.
(Edited by F'Orieny)
