Of clans and negotiated democracy in Kenya

Mohamed Guleid

NAIROBI: Last week the epitome of a form of what has come to be known as negotiated democracy was witnessed in Mandera county where the Gari clan of the Somali ethnic group decided to send home the entire elected leadership of the county, from the Governor down to the MCAs.

The powerful Gari Council of Elders have an almost final say over who should be elected in Mandera except in two constituencies inhabited by other ethnic groups. In 2013, a similar arrangement led to the election of the current leadership. Apparently in Mandera, the election proper is a mere formality.