Coalition bill good for pastoralists — Senator Haji

Garissa Senator Abdul Haji says he will support the Political Parties (Amendment) Bill slated for debate in the Senate this week.

Haji spoke to the press on Saturday in Garissa town.

Members of Parliament have already passed the bill, paving way for the formation of coalition parties.

The bill requires the approval of 24 senators to pass and be forwarded to the President for assent.

According Haji, the bill is good for the pastoralist community and he hopes it goes through.

He said once passed, the bill will help pastoralists communities have a bargaining power with other big political parties.

Haji said as it stands, pastoralist communities have to literally beg for nominations in parliament and other key appointments.

He said things will be different if they have their own party which they can go ahead and use as a bargaining power with the party that forms government.

The senator said unlike the current situation, once the bill is passed the agreement between political parties will have to be signed and binding.

“I want to make it very clear to the people of Garissa that when I go back to the Senate I will support it because I believe it is a good bill which means well for us.

"Going forward once passed, small parties will enter into formal agreements that cannot be broken easily,” he said.

Haji who was recently endorsed by his Samawadhal clan in Ijara to defend his senatorial seat in the August polls further said that the region will rally behind ODM leader Raila Odinga’s quest to be Kenya’s fifth president.

“As a region that has suffered a lot under successive regimes we believe we are set to achieve a lot under his stewardship. We have a strong conviction that the former prime minister will truly transform our region for the better,” he said.

The senator vowed to walk with Raila through the journey and deliver votes.

“Once he ascends to power, God willing, we will make sure that he prioritizes issues that have impeded the growth of this region for decades," he added.

Northern Kenya faces a myriad of challenges including drought, insecurity, water scarcity, underdevelopment & skewed resource allocation from previous regimes.

Haji's seat was previously held by his father, Yussuf Haji, who died in February last year.

The senator who is also DPP Noordin Haji's younger brother was unanimously endorsed by all the clans residing in Garissa.

(Edited by Bilha Makokha)