Garissa County Assembly Speaker Abdi Idle Gure speaking at the meeting./STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Leaders from different clans in Garissa have launched a fresh initiative to unify their communities ahead of the 2027 general elections, seeking to boost their chances of securing key elective seats.
In Northeastern Kenya, communities often embrace negotiated democracy—a culturally rooted approach where elders agree on power-sharing arrangements to minimise political competition and foster peace, inclusivity, and stability.
On Tuesday, Garissa County Assembly Speaker Abdi Idle Gure spearheaded a high-level effort to rally the Hassam Adan sub-clan, part of the larger Samawadal clan, behind a single political front.
In a rare display of cooperation, Gure shared a table with his longtime rival, Mohamed Bashir, during a consultative forum in Garissa.
The meeting brought together elders and opinion leaders from the sub-clan, with participants agreeing to form a 24-member steering committee to coordinate unity efforts.
“As the political leader of this community, I will fully support the committee in delivering on its mandate to ensure we go into the 2027 election with one strong, united front,” Gure said.
He also urged residents to take advantage of President William Ruto’s directive on identification documents to register as voters, calling it a “historic milestone” that ends years of systemic discrimination in accessing IDs and passports.
Bashir welcomed the process, describing it as a vital step in ensuring a candidate with broad-based support emerges from the clan.
The Ijara Constituency seat, currently held by Abdi Ali, is expected to attract stiff competition in 2027, with both Gure and Bashir tipped as early front-runners from the Hassam Adan clan.
Gure has built a reputation in both public service and politics. Before his election as Speaker in 2022, he served as a teacher, worked with NGOs on humanitarian and development programmes, and later worked as a chief officer in the Garissa County Government. His leadership in the Assembly has been credited with restoring accountability, dignity and order to the institution.
