By Ali Abdi
Borana elders and professionals have converged at Kinna trading centre in Garba Tulla to pick their candidates for elective positions in the county.
Delegates representing various aspirants started arriving on Friday night. The meeting started on Sunday and is expected to end on Monday.
Jattani Wako, an elder from Warjida clan and elder brother of former Isiolo South MP Dr Abdullahi Wako chaired the meeting.
On Saturday differences among aspirants emerged over representation — it was claimed that some were represented by more delegates than required. Each of the ten clans, including the Sakuye and Gabra, were to be represented by ten delegates.
“There was a problem with delegates representing aspirants who hail from the same clan. Some aspirants who brought more delegates sent back the extra,” said a delegate who declined to be named.
Single candidate
“We spent the whole of Saturday trying to come up with who should attend the meeting. Today, we expect to start the meeting and end on Tuesday,” said one elder.
The agenda is to come up with a single Borana aspirant for the seats of governor, senator, Isiolo North MP and Women representative.
The governor’s seat has attracted three aspirants, namely current Isiolo South MP, Abdul Bahari, an NGO official Yussuf Dogo and a lawyer Godana Doyo.
The forum will also look into the candidatures of Livestock Development Minister, Mohammed Kuti, former Isiolo North MP Haji Charfano Mokku and former Chief Executive Officer of Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, Mohammed Konso who are eyeing the senate seat.
The elders will have to see who between Isiolo pharmacist, Dr Abduba Sama and NGO official Hassan Odha will be given the nod to run for Isiolo North parliamentary seat.
On aspirants eyeing the Women representative seat, they will make a choice between former commissioner with the defunct Interim Independent Electoral Commission, Tiyya Galgalo, Rehema Dida and Mumina Konso.
Both Isiolo North and Women representative seats have attracted aspirants from other communities.
On Sunday, most aspirants were away but monitoring the process through their delegates.
Bahari attended the meeting for two days, but came back to Isiolo town on Saturday. Konso, Sama, Odha and Galgalo were all reported to be on the ground yesterday while Mokku and Dogo were in Isiolo and Kuti in Nairobi.
Sources close to the delegates revealed it was difficult for them to ask certain aspirants to step down for others, a situation that might lead to all Borana candidates being in the ballot during the March 4, 2013 General Election.
