Blow for Garissa MP as elders back rival for Fafi seat

Garissa Woman Rep Anab Gure’s bid to become the next Fafi MP on Tuesday suffered a major setback after her clansmen endorsed Salah Yakub for the seat.

In Northeastern, clans play an integral role in endorsing aspirants, who in most cases end up winning.

Fafi constituency is inhabited by six subclans namely Rer Harun, Rer Kassim, Rer Gulled, Rer Mahat, Rer Muse and Yahye. The legislator and Yakub are from the Rer Harun clan.

On Wednesday, Yakub, a former county executive in Nathif Jama’s administration, was given the nod by the elders to fly his subclan’s flag at the ballot.

Addressing the press in Garissa, the elders, led by Yare Ali, chairman of the Rer Harun council of elders, said they had arrived at the decision to pick Yakub because he ticked most of the boxes.

Three candidates namely Yakub, Anab and Ibrahim Ali sought the community’s endorsement with each one of them being given time to state their case.

“We the Rer Harun council of elders that come under the umbrella of the Awdhaq clan of the larger Ogaden clan have reached a unanimous decision in endorsing Yakub as the community’s candidate for the Fafi parliamentary seat 2022,” said Ali.

He said factors considered in evaluating the candidates were education, public service work experience, a poll conducted by Rer-Harun and community welfare activities.

Ali said his candidature will now be forwarded to the awdhaq council where the family will once again reaffirm and rubber-stamp his position as the only legitimate and recognised candidate.

“We urge the rest of the candidates who have been left behind to rally behind Yakub in the best interest of the community and to respect the decision reached by the council of elders. There will always be a next time for them,” he said.

Yakub who contested in the last general election and came second thanked his community for trusting and picking him as their candidate.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank my beloved family of Rer Harun for choosing me as the community’s candidate for the Fafi constituency parliamentary seat. It is indeed an honour to be selected out of a deserving and equally able cohort of fellow aspirants.

“It was, without doubt, a tedious process and I sincerely thank you for the hard work and dedication you put in. It is no easy job choosing one out of the many that sort your endorsement,” he said.

He added: “To my brothers and sisters who harboured similar ambitions to mine, I say to you kindly join me in this journey. I cannot do it without your support. In as much as the verdict did not favour you, do not lose hope or despair.

“There are so many opportunities that will definitely come your way and this is by no means the end of the road. I am positive that you will join me and work with me going forward.”

Immediately after the announcement was made, Anab took to her Facebook page to dismiss the exercise, saying the clan had not endorsed anyone to run for the seat.

The legislator who has in the recent months sustained her effort to capture the seat and has been crisscrossing the constituency to popularise her bid said the gathering was not an endorsement.

“Of the three candidates, none has been given the green light to fly the flag of the Harun family for the seat in the coming election. The family is still in deliberations to decide who to give the mantle to. It’s nauseating that the elders were hoodwinked into the trap to announce the said individual as the one picked by the people,” she said.

-Edited by SKanyara