Duale vows to mobilise Somalis in Somalia for Ruto
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale during an interview in Nairobi on January 26, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Duale said he would work with Mombasa businessman Abubakar Joho to mobilise support for President Ruto from the neighbouring country.
- Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir called for an approach that focuses on equal treatment of all Kenyans regardless of their identity.
Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale has said he will mobilise Somalis from Somalia to support President William Ruto’s re-election bid in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a meeting with members of the Mombasa Somali Community Association, Mr Duale said he has been in politics for more than 25 years and has served under the administrations of former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta as well as President Ruto.
He said his experience under the three administrations have enabled him to distinguish their approaches towards Muslims and minority communities.
The CS criticised security operations conducted during the Kibaki and Kenyatta administrations, saying Muslim youths were killed at Masjid Musa in Mombasa in the name of fighting terrorism.
“We must speak the truth. Let us be very honest. Our children were killed in the name of fighting terrorism. Kenya belongs to everyone; we are not visitors in this country. We were born here, we are pastoralists, we are Muslims, we are North Easterners and Coastals and we belong to Kenya,” Mr Duale said.
“If you think pastoralists and Muslims are tourists then you are in for a rude shock,” he added.
Mr Duale said the Ruto administration had made it easier for members of the Somali and Muslim communities in Kenya to access national identity cards, passports and birth certificates. He said members of the community had previously faced lengthy vetting processes when seeking identification documents.
“Our children could be vetted and asked questions from here to Ethiopia, but today God gave us President Ruto who has brought equality. Our children can access those crucial documents without any hindrance or questions from NIS, DCI and other security agencies,” he said.
The CS said some people opposed President Ruto because his administration removed the additional vetting requirements for identification documents.
Mr Duale said critics had claimed the removal of the vetting would allow people from Somalia to obtain Kenyan documents.
“When President Ruto removed vetting, they said he was bringing people from Somalia. Now I want to state outrightly that we will bring in Somalis from Somalia,” he said.
Inclusion under President Ruto
Mr Duale cited the appointment of Muslims to senior government positions, including CS, PS the Coast regional police command and Mombasa County administration, as what he described as evidence of greater inclusion under President Ruto.
He urged Muslims to support President Ruto's re-election and leaders whom he described as brave, firm, truthful and principled in defending the interests of their communities and religion.
The CS also criticised the Orange Democratic Movement, saying the party had lost some of its earlier political strength.
“I want to tell ODM leaders that I felt the party started dwindling when you appointed Mr Edwin Sifuna as secretary general,” he said.
“When I was in ODM, the chairman was Mr Henry Kosgey and secretary general was Prof Anyang Nyong’o, the party leader was the late Raila Odinga and his deputy was Dr Ruto. That was when ODM was ODM,” he said.
He however added that the current political arrangement had brought together leaders from ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) under the broad-based government will make sure that Dr Ruto is re-elected.
Mr Duale's remarks come as political mobilisation intensifies ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The CS said he would work with Mombasa businessman Abubakar Joho, elder brother of former Cabinet Secretary Hassan Joho, to mobilise support for President Ruto from the neighbouring country.
Abubakar, popularly known as Abu, said he had worked with Mr Duale for years to assist members of the Somali community who arrived in Mombasa during the civil war in Somalia. He said the two, together with his brother CS Joho, were involved in assisting Somali refugees who arrived in Mombasa by sea in the 1990s.
“When there was war in Somalia, most of the Somali community came through Mombasa and the three of us used to go to Old Port to help those who were being ferried using small boats at night during the leadership of President Daniel Moi,” he said.
He said the late Cabinet minister Shariff Nassir helped them secure documentation to assist the refugees.
“Mr Nassir could help us get letters to secure the refugees. He promised to take responsibility of the refugees. It is sad today to see the community not united; you must be united,” he said.
He said the three were not politicians at the time but helped Somali refugees because they considered them members of the same community.
“In the 1990s, the three of us were not into politics but we helped them. They were our brothers. Let us remain united. Let us stop ethnicity; we are from the same religion. We are Muslim brothers,” he said, adding that the late businessman Tahir Sheikh Said (TSS) used to give them accommodation.
He urged the Somali community to support President Ruto in the 2027 elections. He also said members of the Somali community had contributed to the growth of Mombasa's business sector after arriving in the port city.
Abu also called on women to play a central role in political mobilisation, saying they were key to successful campaigns.
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir called for an approach that focuses on equal treatment of all Kenyans regardless of their identity.
“No citizen should be casually labelled a ‘terrorist’ or treated as a ‘refugee’ in their own country. The Kenya we want is one where our diversity is our strength, rights belong equally to everyone, and every community has a meaningful stake in our shared future,” he said.
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