Clan elders in Northern Kenya hold immense power over election outcomes by vetting and nominating candidates, making their endorsement virtually essential for political success.
For decades, politics in North Eastern Kenya has often been shaped by clan calculations, political patronage, negotiated arrangements, and the influence of the powerful council of elders.
Politicians seeking any political position, be it a member of the county assembly (MCA), an MP, a woman representative, a senator or the governor, must first win the goodwill of his or her clan elders before proceeding with any kind of campaign to woo the masses to vote for him or her.
Those who defy the council of elders’ decision end up losing elections in most cases against those nominated and fronted by the elders.
“It is never that easy to manoeuvre politically in this region without getting a nomination from the council of elders. One is most likely to lose an election if he or she ignores engaging these elders at the onset of his or her political journey,” Mr Hassan Garad, a resident of Garissa, said.
Despite playing a critical role in local politics, several groups of elders representing different clans in the region denied charging nomination fees or depending on politics financially to run their affairs.
But some politicians admitted spending a fortune on the council of elders with the hope of winning an endorsement.
Mr Hassan Hache, who vied for the Mandera Senatorial position in 2022 and lost to Ali Roba, says money is involved in the nomination of candidates at the council of elders but is never paid directly.
“We don’t have nomination fees at that level but one has to ensure the process is funded by providing financial support for the elders’ activities. One can provide allowances for the elders, hire a hotel, buy food and provide transport. It is a very expensive affair,” he said.
Senator Ali Roba.
According to Mr Hache, some communities have bank accounts where the politicians will deposit any amount to support the council of elders.
“This amount is never defined nor is it mandatory. It remains upto an individual to choose the council of elders’ way or ignore it,” he said.
He added, “The elders are a pressure group that ensures you get the votes if and only if well treated. Their expenditure is collective since it comes from all the politicians competing.”
Mr Abdikadir Kunaye, who also lost in the 2022 general elections, says the issue of clan elders is a very expensive political affair.
“You don’t pay money directly to them but their demands will leave you financially drained. You have to pay for their every move during that period of the campaign. You have to pay their daily allowances,” he said.
Mr Yussuf Mohamed Ali, the Secretary General of the Samawathal Clan Elders Council in Garissa, denied claims of money involvement when picking political candidates from within.
Speaking exclusively to Nation, Mr Ali said any clan member interested in vying for political office only needs to be a person of integrity.
“We don’t charge anything from the candidates during the nomination process. We only ask for facilitation of our meetings and refreshments for the members who attend these meetings where we deliberate extensively on those interested in seeking political office,” he said.
He revealed that a candidate may also choose to pay for a venue for their meetings while another takes charge of their accommodation during our deliberations.
“We don’t consider these favors when deciding whom to choose but what he can do and what he has done to the community in the past,” he insisted.
He maintained that a council of elders has a minimal role in politics but largely concentrates on peace building and dispute resolution.
“Yes, we play a role in politics by nominating who should be a candidate of a given community in politics. We carry out extensive interviews and pick the best whom we present to the community to vote for,” he said.
One only needs to walk to the council of elders with a clean past, integrity and resourcefulness.
“We consider the ability of that candidate to attract a coalition with other clans living within and he or she must be resourceful to sustain his or her political campaigns,” he said.
He added, “We look at someone’s past experience, how accountable is this person and his or her educational level. We don’t just pick someone for the sake of picking but we carry out a thorough background check just to have all boxes tick right.”
Garissa Senator Abdulkadir Mohamed Haji.
Among the Samawathal, the clan council nominated Senator Abdulkadir Mohamed Yussuf Haji.
“We always consult religious leaders, women and youths in this process before we make our final decision,” he said.
Over the weekend, elders from the Awliyahan and Samawathal clans converged in Garissa town and unanimously endorsed Senator Abdul for the top county seat.
“After wide consultations, prayerful consideration and unanimous agreement within the Awliyahan community, we recognize and endorse Senator Abdulkadir Mohamed Yussuf Haji as the sole and official candidate of the Awliyahan Sultanate for the position of governor of Garissa County in the 2027 General Election,” said Mr Ahmed Sheikh Muhumed, chairperson of the Awliyahan Council of Elders.
Senator Haji, while accepting the endorsement, said the alliance was not about excluding other communities but about building a broader political coalition capable of delivering development and inclusive leadership.
“I sincerely thank the Awliyahan Sultan, the elders and the entire community for throwing their weight behind my candidature. I receive this mandate with profound humility and gratitude, fully conscious of the collective trust, responsibility and expectations that come with carrying the hopes of this alliance,” he said.
He said the two communities had resolved to walk the political journey together, arguing that the coalition was founded on a shared destiny rather than exclusion.
The endorsement of Senator Abdul by elders from both clans is seen as a political blow to Mr Mohamed Shidiye, who has been banking on his clan elders for an endorsement.
It has since been revealed that Mr Shidiye declined the elders’ request to step down in favour of Senator Abdul from the Samawathal clan, as per a cited agreement reached ten years ago.
Under the current arrangement spearheaded by clan elders, the gubernatorial position goes to the Samawathal clan while the senator’s position comes to the Awlihan clan.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama before the Senate County Public Investments and Special Funds Committee on July 11, 2023.
This means Governor Nathif Jama is switching political positions with Senator Abdul.
In the 2022 general elections, the coalition between the two communities propelled Governor Nathif Jama to the helm, with Mr Abdul elected as the senator.
In an interview, Sultan Hamud Mohamed of the Awlihan clan vehemently denied claims of payment of nomination fees by those seeking the council of elders’ blessings.
“We don’t get paid for the work we do nor do we charge nomination fees from those seeking political seats. Anybody willing to support our course is always free to come forward and buy food for us during our meetings, provide transport and accommodation expenses,” he said.
He said for one to be nominated by the Awlihan Council of Elders, he or she must be of integrity and sound mind.
“We are clan elders and we know all our people. We have people we cannot recommend to be office cleaners and we have those that can represent the whole community very well. We know and understand everyone among ourselves,” he said, stating that one did not need to present his or her academic credentials to the council for nomination.
He warned that those who ignore decisions of the clan elders always lose elections in Garissa.
In Mandera, Sultan Yusuf Mohamed, from the Garre clan, said candidates are only picked based on integrity and nothing else.
“We finance ourselves. Yes, we might be supported by those in the race but we have always raised funds among ourselves and other community members for that course because the leaders we pick belong to the community as a whole,” he said.
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Mr Mohamed Hussein Ali, a former MP of Mandera East, while commenting on politics in northern Kenya on his Facebook page, says the clan endorsement exercise is extremely expensive.
“Politics in our NEP counties is largely clan-based. As a result, endorsement and counter-endorsement events have become a common feature of every election cycle. These endorsement exercises are extremely expensive,” he said.
He said the costs are often passed on to the candidate, either directly or indirectly. For those who eventually win, there is an expectation that they will settle these bills in full or, at the very least, influence the allocation of projects and opportunities to offset the expenses incurred during the campaign.
He says it remains ironic how many people publicly condemn politics as corrupt, and in some circles even declare it Haraam. Yet when endorsement ceremonies are held, every segment of society is present and actively participates.
“The Ulama (religious leaders) are there. The professionals are there. The ugases and sultans are there. The women, the youth, and the elders all attend with equal enthusiasm. Then, immediately after the elections, the same groups unite in accusing the winner of being ungrateful—of not answering calls or acknowledging those who supported the campaign. Everyone believes they have a debt to be repaid, and everyone expects personal attention and preferential treatment.
He concludes that clan endorsement remains one of the fundamental contradictions of politics in northern Kenya.
“Here, we collectively denounce the system, yet we collectively sustain it,” he said.
Mr Mohamed Osman from Wajir said that among the Degodia clan, after deliberations, members of the council vote and the candidate with the majority votes wins the clan’s support.
“We don’t ask for money. We fund-raise and get supported by other clan members because this is a whole clan affair. We vet the candidates and come up with the best,” he said.
Even as clan elders denied receiving hefty amounts from politicians seeking to be endorsed, Sheikh Abdullahi Salat, a cleric in Garissa town, blamed a failed negotiated democracy system on politicians and the elites.
“People have abused the negotiated democracy plan. Politicians and the elites are using money to buy elders instead of supporting and agreeing with a fair process. People used to sit down and analyze an individual before asking the population to vote for him but things have changed with money,” he said.
Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims National Chairman Al-Hajj Hassan Ole Naado (center) with his deputy Muhndhar Shariff (left) and Secretary General Sheikh Abdullahi Salat at a media briefing on May 12, 2025.
Sheikh Salat opined that negotiated democracy was a platform that held leaders accountable, but that has since changed.
“It was a good thing that used to give opportunity to everyone. We always discussed an individual before agreeing on who to represent us but currently money is working and has caused a mistrust among us. That process has been abused completely,” he maintained.
In 2017, Mr Ali Roba, then Mandera governor, opposed a council of elders’ decree barring him from seeking a second term in office.
Mr Roba went against the negotiated democracy wave and won his second term in office.
Claims of money being used were raised but certainly died immediately after he was sworn in to complete his second term as the Mandera governor.
“Politics in our community has since switched from free and fair clan deliberations to cash flow. If you have money, even the elders will listen and consider you for a position,” Mr Mohamud Ali, from Wajir, said.
In Garissa County, emerging clan alignments, rival endorsements and escalating political rhetoric have exposed deep divisions in the local politics.
The battle to succeed Garissa Governor Nathif Jama has attracted about five candidates, all claiming to have their respective clan blessings.
Of the larger Ogaden family residing in Garissa, locals are divided into three main clans including Awlihan, Audwaq and Samawathal.
In March, the Samawathal clan endorsed Senator Abdulkadir Haji against Mr Ahmed Ibrahim Abass.
The endorsement led to a splinter group among the Samawathal Council of Elders early this month; the dissatisfied group installed Mr Mohamed Abdi Samad as their community leader.
Senator Haji accused the Health Cabinet Secretary of interfering with local politics and sponsoring a splinter group to erase CS Duale’s political footprints in Garissa.
CS Duale has since denied the accusations, further warning Senator Haji to prepare for what he termed as a bumpy political road ahead.
Cabinet Secretary for Health Aden Duale when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Delegated Legislation at Bunge Tower, Nairobi, on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
In Wajir, the Fai community of the larger Degodia clan endorsed a Nairobi-based Dr Hassan Mohamed Adan, causing another rift in the largest clan locally.
Ugas Sheikh Mohamed, former governor Mohamed Abdi Mohamud and Mohamed Elmi had presented their interest to the clan elders.
Dissatisfied with the process, Ugas Sheikh Mohamed said he would appeal the decision to endorse Dr Adan.
“In line with this decision, we will formally present an appeal regarding the outcome through the appropriate channels, guided by our commitment to fairness, transparency, and the unity of our community,” he said.
While disputing the outcome announced on Sunday in Wajir town, Mr Mohamed Abdi Muhamed accused the elders of failing to stick to the agreed framework when selecting a flagbearer.
Mandera Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif.
In Mandera, the larger Garre community has seen several sub-clans carry out endorsements of candidates in preparations for the 2027 general elections.
Mr Mohamed Muhamed, a former senator, has since been endorsed by his Furkesha clan, giving him a green light to dethrone Mr Mohamed Adan Khalif, the incumbent from the Asare clan.
Governor Khalif is facing a challenge from Alnoor Mohamed Ali within his Asare sub-clan of the larger Garre, causing jitters in his camp.
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