Former city clerk guns to become MP

By Abdikadir Sugow                

Following his resignation after only five months on the job, outgoing Nairobi Town Clerk Roba Sharu Duba has plunged into politics, with the target of becoming Moyale MP.

“I am responding to the call of Moyale residents, who are asking for my services, this time as a politician, after first serving them as a town clerk,” Says Duba

Speaking to The Standard, Duba said the reason for quitting the high-profile job of city clerk to declare his candidature is to foster inter-communal harmony in Moyale through the establishment of credible conflict resolution mechanisms.

“Moyale has not known peace in its history and security is paramount in my political agenda,” he said.

He said his five-point plan gives priority to security issues. “Our people must recognise one another and co-exist peacefully. Our constituency borders Ethiopia and Somalia, which have been constantly afflicted by insecurity and Moyale has been directly affected”.

Moyale seat

And he is exuding confidence he would capture the Moyale seat, a position supported by the current long-serving Moyale County Council Chairman Golicha Galgalo, who says the visionary leadership skills demonstrated by Duba is much needed in his home district.

“Even now we already regard him as the acting MP without a salary since the current MP Mohamed Ali is vying for the position of County Governor. Duba will face off with gynecologist Guyo Wako who has declared his interest in the seat.

The former clerk said he quit the top job based on the theory professed by former Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission Director Patrick Lumumba (PLO), who once contested the Kamukunji parliamentary that “one can only make a serious difference in the life of ordinary people through a political platform.”

Duba said he hopes to make a difference as MP of Moyale because that platform will give him the privilege to openly advocate for the ordinary people, just as he had served in his duties as Town Clerk.

Political party

Asked which political platform he will use in his bid to win the Moyale seat, Duba said high-level consultations are going on among the elites and the council of elders of his Boran community in an attempt to bring all eggs in one basket.

The options have narrowed down to ODM, The National Alliance (TNA) and the United Democratic Front (UDF).

“Boran wazee (old men) are consulting widely and seeking to make a choice,” he says.

However, he is urging the people not to dwell so much on which political party ticket he will contest, but instead await the outcome of the consultations.

Duba will face many challenges as he ventures into politics including mobilisation and bringing together residents who are divided into clan groupings in the vast constituency covering 10,000 square miles in Moyale and Sololo districts.