Kenya’s most influential Somalis

When Jomo Kenyatta, President Uhuru’s father, took over the reins of power from the British colonialists, he had a problem on his hands: The Kenyan Somalis.

They had rejected the colonialists, the British were afraid of them and had labelled them ‘hostile tribes’. Their whole homeland — in what is now North Eastern Kenya — had different rules: travel and movement restrictions were imposed and administrators were given extraordinary powers to arrest and detain.

According to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission’s report which is gathering dust on parliamentary shelves, there were rules that required “Kenyans of Somali origin to carry a special pass.” Then came the ‘Shifta War’ and the “Wagalla Massacre, in which the government harassed, tortured, killed and even violated the rights of a whole community.”

When it was all done, there was mutual distrust between the Somalis and the State. Years later, in 2015, Kenyatta’s son, Uhuru, apologised on behalf of his father, and all previous governments, for the historical injustices. He said his desire was to cultivate unity in the country, to have all tribes feel as if they are part of the country.

The community, even with moderated and ‘smoothed out’ population results, had a total population of 2,385,572, according to the 2009 census. Those numbers, their entrepreneurial brains, together with the business and networking acumen, have seen the community that was once on the wrong side of history, get a steady foothold in government, all the way to the sanctum of State House, the President’s residence. There are also Somalis in the inner circle of the opposition.

The Nairobian has compiled a list of some of the most influential Somalis in Kenya.

This list is in no way exhaustive, but is a celebration of how official attitudes have changed. Although intolerant Kenyans still harbour the unfair stereotype of Somalis in Kenya as being ‘refugees’ or ‘terrorists,’ with police officers calling any Somali they arrest ‘Al-Shabaab’, these powerful Somalis have managed to change the official narrative.

Their proximity to the feeding trough, influencing policy and making crucial national decisions, plus the advent of a devolved system of government, have together worked for the good of the people of Northern Kenya.

1. Aden Duale, Leader of the Majority Party in the National Assembley

Aden Duale is the face of the ruling Jubilee coalition in the National Assembly. In terms of the political pecking order, he comes third after Deputy President William Ruto and the President. It is through Duale’s office that all government policies that require legislative backing pass through.

When he speaks, it is for the government, and even the President. This position allows him to command substantial de facto powers – sometimes more powerful than the Speaker. Duale’s entry into the Jubilee coalition began when he teamed up with Ruto in the rebellion against Raila Odinga.

Together, Duale and Ruto and other MPs, mainly from the Rift Valley, formed the United Republican Party (URP), which then joined hands with Uhuru’s The National Alliance (TNA) party to form the Jubilee coalition. Each of the parties negotiated for positions, and Duale chose Leader of the Majority. He got it.

It is a powerful position. In fact, just a fortnight ago, as the country buried one-time Kanu operative Mark Too, he faced single-party days power broker Nicholas Biwott and told him, “I am in the office you were in during Moi’s time, and you had so many enemies.”

If Uhuru wants anything done in Parliament, he has to listen to what Duale tells him. That pretty much sums up Duale’s power and influence.

2. Abdikadir Mohammed, Senior Adviser, Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Executive Office of the President

Abdikadir, though hardly seen in the limelight, is the legal brains behind many presidential decisions. His job is to look at the policies, and see what laws are required to drive a policy, propose amendments or overhaul existing laws.

Together with Attorney-General Githu Muigai and Solicitor-General Njee Muturi, Abdikadir’s input usually comes in handy to ensure the President does not tie himself in legal knots. Abdikadir endeared himself to the public as the level-headed chairman of the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the 10th Parliament, and then as the chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Constitution Review.

After the elders asked him to surrender his parliamentary seat in Mandera Central Constituency, Abdikadir returned to Nairobi, flirted with the United Democratic Front (UDF), and when Uhuru won the presidency, he somehow manoeuvred his way into the corridors of power in State House.

3. Amina Mohammed, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade

The press has nicknamed her ‘the only man in Uhuru’s Cabinet’ because of the kind of role that Ambassador Amina played in exonerating the President and his deputy from the jaws of international justice at the International Criminal Court.

Though a Somali, the career civil servant – a lawyer and a diplomat—was born and raised in Western Kenya, in Amalemba, Kakamega.

She schooled in Butere Girls and later Moi Girls, Eldoret. She’s had a sterling civil service career, having served as a diplomat in Geneva, a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs during the coalition government, President of the United Nations Conference on Transnational Crime, Vienna, and United Nations Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director, UNEP. She got into Uhuru’s government and brought her international networks to bear.

She served the country and now the President and his government have sent out a bid to have her elected the chairperson of the African Union Commission. In her job as Foreign Affairs CS, Amina has access and influence on the country’s international image, and she sits in the crucial National Security Council that advises the president on all matters security.

4) Ahmednassir Abdullahi, Senior Counsel

It is difficult to forget the hard-hitting lawyer who interviewed judges in 2011 for the top job of the Judiciary and saw many of them fail. The lawyer is Ahmednassir Abdullahi, who goes by the nickname, ‘The Grand Mullah.’

He comes from Mandera, but he runs Nairobi. His name is on every big deal; every big person, including the President, call him “my friend.” He owns a publishing firm, a law firm (in which Abdikadir is a partner), a bank, and has assets worth millions of shillings.

He was once a dean of the Law School at the University of Nairobi, and he is also a columnist who speaks his mind, rattling the status quo. He is the only person to accuse the Director of Criminal Investigations without getting arrested.

5. Farah Maalim, Opposition luminary

Farah Maalim was the highest ranking Somali during the coalition government when he was elected the Deputy Speaker. He is the top-ranking Somali in the Opposition.

He is now the Deputy Party Leader of Wiper. He is the Opposition’s answer to Aden Duale, and in fact, he has put in place a political machinery to send Duale to political oblivion.

When Maalim speaks, the country listens. He speaks for the Opposition and the Somalis.

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