Ethnic group was formed in Tana for polls

By Ngumbao Kithi

TANA RIVER, KENYA: Commission on Inquiry into the Tana River massacre was told how an organisation formed by Omar Soba, Ali Wario, and Hersi Dulo came up with a lobby group, Let All Tana Tribes Unite to take over all elective positions in the General Election.

According to the organisation, the Orma and other pastoralists had come together not to allow the Pokomo to take any elective position.

So far, the pastoralists are still working on a formula on the best person to fight for the position of the governor, senator, parliamentary seats, county assembly representatives, and any other elective position.

Two prominent politicians, Dhadho Godana and former envoy, Hussein Dado confirmed the existence of the lobby group, which they said controls the people to be elected to the county government in the March 4 elections.

Mr Godana said the coming up together of the pastoralists community in Tana River has led to Pokomo being denied leadership of the Tana River Council elections for the last two terms.

“It is true that for the last two elections at the council hall, no one from the non-pastoralists community has been elected,” Godana said.

Elective positions

He said there was fear that in the next General Election, the local Pokomo people might be blocked from taking over the Eositions.

But Dado defended the pastoralists for coming up with the lobby group.

He warned that the Orma and the pastoralists were some of the most marginalised communities in Kenya.

“The Orma and the rest of the pastoralist communities are in a sorry state and need an affirmative action like the lobby group,” he said.

Dado said the killings in Tana River were beyond imagination and resembled those executed by the Mombasa Republican Council.

“I am the first person who asked President Kibaki to set up this commission. The killings still remain shocking,” he said.

He denied claims that suspected criminals used his mobile handset to plan the attacks.

“There are people who may have used my phone but they were not criminals as claimed,” he said.

Earlier, mobile telephone company Safaricom had indicated there were 16 different people who used the former envoy’s phone to call different people.

He denied the allegations and asked the Government to give the commission more time for inquiry.

“For this commission to come up with reputable results, they need more time. The time given is too short,” he said.