DP Ruto endorses Abdul Haji for Garissa Senate seat

Deputy President William Ruto has declared support for the son of the late Garissa County Senator Yusuf Haji.

Ruto met with Garissa MCAs drawn from Jubilee, ODM, UDA, and KANU at his Karen office on Tuesday.

The DP said that they discussed empowerment programmes for the hustler nation and agreed to back Abdul Yusuf Haji for the seat in the upcoming by-election.

The Garissa senatorial seat fell vacant following the death of Yusuf Haji who died on February 15 after a long illness.

Haji passed away aged 80 years at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Nairobi.

Ruto’s move comes after politicians drawn from the Northeastern region proposed that Haji’s son should take over from his father.

The politicians said negotiations by leaders together with clan elders to have Abdul run unopposed are ongoing.

Garissa governor Ali Korane Korane and Eldas MP Aden Keynan said that the best honour they can give to the late senator was electing his son to complete the remaining term left by his late father.

At the same time, the DP said that leaders should combine efforts and commit to confronting the challenges facing millions of households in the country.

Ruto said that leaders should engage in divisive politics, but should be visionary and embrace inclusive and broad-based interventions in the economy that will uplift the poor.