Aspirants in Garissa are calling on clan elders who pick candidates for various seats to be fair and transparent.
ANC deputy party leader Abdi Yarre and Siyat Osman, both aspirants for the Garissa Township constituency, claim negotiated democracy has been manipulated and abused, the end result being having bad leaders.
The two hail from the Abduwak clan, one of the predominant clans in Garissa that is headed by Sultan Sambul Dekhow.
They said while the system is meant to balance the clan dynamics and ensure that all feel part and parcel of the process and leadership, it has been manipulated by some individuals in the past.
The leaders spoke to the press on Thursday in Garissa town.
Yarre who contested for the Garissa township MP seat in 2017 said they have in the past subscribed to the process and still do.
“Our hope is that it will be a free and fair process devoid of any manipulation,” Yarre said.
Osman who has in the past been a victim of the process said that it would be counterproductive if the process aimed at unifying people ends up dividing the same.
“Our good elders who sit on the decision making table should do things differently. I personally hope that this time round it will not end in acrimony, let it give us good leaders who can stand the test of time," Osman said.
Negotiated democracy is a social set up system that has been used by northeastern communities for decades.
This is a process where clan elders, community elders and major stake holders are mobilised to decide on who will be the flag bearer for different seats.
Devolution, which brought with it more seats, has only served to embolden the process with elders key in determining who is picked.
While critics say it has ended up channeling out bad leaders who focus on developing areas where their clans come from, those who support it say it has helped in keeping communities together.
Last week, the Sultan’s secretary Hassan Osman said the council has not endorsed any candidate for the seat, all that was happening was presenting of applicants credentials to the council.
Osman, who is also the secretary to the council, promised that the exercise with free, fair and transparent.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)
