Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale is pushing his brother-in-law, Mr. Mohamed Barrow Dekow, to succeed him as the Garissa Township MP ahead of the by-elections set for January 5.
Duale won the same seat in the August 9 general elections but later resigned after President William Ruto named him to his inaugural cabinet as Defence CS.
The wealthy brother-in-law’s family has been funding Duale’s political activities for years and now it’s time to return the favor. Duale is pushing one of the family members to succeed him in parliament and eventually groom him to become the next political supremo in Garissa and North Eastern regions as he focusses on ministerial affairs.
Dekow who is running on an UDA ticket will compete against former Fafi MP Abdikarim Osman, Mulki Warsane who lost in the woman rep contest and Mohamed Gabow.
Duale was elected on the same UDA ticket meaning those who voted for Duale are expected to side with Dekow.
The Defence CS has fronted for Dekow’s candidature in meetings with elders drawn from his own Abduwak clan. But Duale’s brother in-law is afraid of one Mr. Nassir Dolal Mohamed, alias Jofle, an all time Duale critic who enjoys massive support from his Awliyahan clan.
Jofle is running on a United Democratic Movement party ticket and has been coming second to Duale since 2013. He garnered 5509 votes against Duale’s 9,905 in the August polls.
But experts opine that Duale’s endorsement is as a boost for Mr Dekow in Garissa politics.
During a clan meeting presided over by CS Duale over the weekend, the former Garissa MP rallied community elders, politicians and professionals from the Abduwak clan to throw their weight behind one of their own.
The clan endorsement of Mr Dekow complicates the matrix for the other aspirants including former Fafi MP Mr Abdikarim Osman, Ms Mulki Warsane and Mr Mohamed Gabow who also from the same Abduwak clan
The January 5, 2023 by-election will see the three sub-clans of the larger Ogaden tribe in Garissa battle out to succeed Mr. Duale. The Ogaden tribe comprises of Abduwak, Awliyahan and the Samawadhal sub clans. But Samawadhal is viewed as a swing vote since it is not fronting one of its own in the Garissa Township race.
Clan based politics is the norm in North Eastern Kenya where ‘negotiated democracy’ is applied when nominating individuals to different political positions.
