North Kenya candidates slam Jubilee nominations
Aggrieved Jubilee party aspirants from northern Kenya have criticised the party for hand-picking its candidates for various seats instead of conducting credible primaries.
Aspirants drawn from Isiolo, Wajir and Mandera counties claim the method used by the party to award the ticket to their rivals was deeply skewed, flawed, foreign and unknown to the Constitution and Elections Act.
For instance, in Isiolo county, Nairobi County Assembly Majority Leader Abdi Guyo was picked against former Governor Godana Doyo, a favourite of the Borana Council of Elders (BCE). Incumbent Senator Fatuma Dullo also got the party’s nod to defend the seat instead of Noor Mohamed Ibrahim.
Immediate former Education CAS Mumina Bonaya received the ticket to vie for Woman Rep after the incumbent Rehema Dida was dropped.
In Mandera county, former East African Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed was given a direct ticket against the will of incumbent senator Mohamed Mahamud and Mombasa-based businessman Feisal Abass Abdirahman.
The same fate befell Wajir Governor Mohamed Abdi, who was dropped in favour of Nairobi South Hospital proprietor Mohamed Hassan Adam, a favourite of the Fai Council of elders.
Former CAS environment Mohamed Elmi, also denied the Jubilee party ticket and slammed the outfit saying it did not follow its own nomination rules.
Addressing his supporters on Sunday at Parklands, Governor Abdi Mohamud claims there was no form of nomination in the Jubilee party but individuals selecting their brothers, sisters, friends, relatives, boyfriends, and girlfriends.
Jubilee party had provided for interviews, consensus, and direct and indirect nomination as a way of arriving at its candidates.
“Following the shambolic Jubilee Party nominations, I wish to express my utmost dissatisfaction on the outcome, and in that regard wish to declare my interest to seek my re-election for the county’s gubernatorial position on an independent ticket,” the governor said. He said he expected the Party’s National Election Board to either hold primaries or settle for a consensus as a way of picking its flag bearers.
“Unfortunately, they went for nothing. We were neither invited nor contacted by the party regarding the party’s procedure over the nomination process,” he held.
The county chief said the people of Wajir would have the final say on whether he would continue serving them as governor or not.
His views were shared by Mombasa-based businessman Feisal Abdirahman Abass, who was eyeing the party ticket for Mandera gubernatorial race and said the party broke its own constitution and election laws despite promising that there will be consensus using the negotiated democracy process, which has been the norm in northern Kenya.
“And we are wondering whether the party wants to win seats, or whether they want to lose seats. So, my request is to the party leader President Uhuru Kenyatta to take away those certificates and follow the intelligence reports and pollsters which have come from the ground, as well as the negotiated democracy, which is the way we conduct our business,” Mandera county Jubilee party aspirant Feisal Abdirahman Abass said.
Mandera Senator Mohamed Mahamud, who was also eyeing the Jubilee Party ticket said that he expected the Jubilee party to follow the process required by both the law and also in the political parties and also provided in the political party’s nomination rules.
“Unfortunately, in the case of Mandera County, nothing of this happened. We did say earlier that we’re ready for all the processes that the party put in place. Nothing of this happened.,” he said.
On her part, Isiolo Women representative Rehema Jaldesa says she opted to defend her seat on the Jubilee ticket having paid the required nomination fee but the ticket was awarded to her rival without her knowledge.
She explains that she adequately prepared herself for the nomination by having them informed that there were three processes namely consensus if consensus fails, interview, then they should interview fails, and the third one is nomination.
“I prepared myself for all the three processes, branded my vehicles and hooked up posters just in case we go the nomination way. Unfortunately, until April 27th, I have not gotten any communication, the only thing I saw in the newspaper and on social media is that the people we are competing with were given a party ticket up to this minute,” Jaldesa told a press conference yesterday.
On his part, Isiolo North MP Hassan Hulufo said Isiolo residents are not loyal to political parties but are loyal to individuals they trust.
“When we were nominated through a community consensus process, I decided to join my colleague who happens to be the only member of parliament elected on the Jubilee ticket in 2017. So that we can seek reelection or Jubilee tickets and we thought we were actually giving them, we were honouring them, because our candidate has sure bets,” he said.’
