Dorobo and Asheraf clans unite to boost chances of electing their own
Members of Asheraf and Dorobo ethnic groups during a meeting in Leparua, Burat ward in Isiolo on July 10, 2022. They resolved to work together to enhance their bargaining power and to clinch elective seats in the August elections.
Two minority ethnic groups in Isiolo have united in a bid to enhance their bargaining power and clinch some of the elective seats in the county in the August 9 elections.
The Dorobo and Asheraf clans, which have never had a representative in the county and national assemblies since the advent of devolution, on Sunday resolved to work together to push their interests for socio-economic empowerment and improved livelihoods.
At a meeting in Leparua that brought together elders and leaders from the two communities, residents lamented that minority groups had been sidelined by former and current administrations and, therefore, needed to collectively push for their interests.
The pact will help the communities speak in one voice in the coming elections.
Elders at the meeting, while asking other minority groups to join their cause, said the only way for small ethnic groups to have representation in elective seats was by uniting and supporting their candidate to rival numbers marshalled by larger communities.
Isiolo North MP candidate Osman Shariff Abukar, who is from the Asheraf clan, during a meeting with the Dorobo clan in Leparua on July 10, 2022.
Swing votes
They said the pact will end the habit of larger communities using the smaller ones as swing votes.
“Candidates from the larger communities do not care about our interests and it is time we also support our own to defend and champion our rights because we have been marginalised for a long time and reduced to just mere voters,” he said.
Led by Musa Likirobi and Ngoima Ndereba, the elders from the Dorobo community said the community is grappling with poor telephone network coverage, no water supply and poor road networks despite electing leaders into office.
“We are also struggling with insecurity, and infrastructure in a majority of schools is in a sorry state. We are never considered for employment and appointment opportunities,” Mr Likirobi lamented.
The communities unanimously resolved to support Isiolo North MP candidate Osman Shariff Abukar from the Asheraf community.
Mr Ndereba said the majority of parents cannot take their children beyond Standard Eight due to poverty and that the county and constituency bursaries are hard to come by.
“Our numbers must count in the coming polls. We must have our own in the elective seat for better representation,” he maintained.
Dorobo elders address journalists during the Leparua meeting on July 10, 2022.
Represent their interests
Mr Shariff, who is vying under Chama Cha Kazi, said unless minorities join hands and rally their support behind a candidate who will represent their interests in government, they will continue to lag behind while other communities advance.
“We must make the right decision at the ballot box and will transform our lives and bring the change that we want. We will not allow any community to use us for political expediency,” he said.
The leader said voters should vote wisely and not trade their democratic rights for handouts as electing bad leaders would deny them development and crucial services in the next five years.
“Do not sell your voice (votes) because it will deny you crucial services and make it hard for you to keep the leaders you elect accountable. Vote to end the challenges you have been going through under the current leadership,” he said.
Mr Shariff said he would rally minority communities to sue the next Isiolo governor if he fails to consider them for jobs and appointments.
Beyond the elections
Mr Dickson Obolbogi, 75, said the unity would extend beyond the elections to ensure the communities are taken seriously by elected leaders.
“We are tired of empty promises and we will no longer blindly support politicians without a binding agreement on what their administration will do for us,” he said, adding that a united front will enable them to be gatekeepers of their interests for better livelihoods.
Larger communities in the county are ostensibly rallying their numbers behind their kinsmen, hampering the quest of minorities to occupy elective seats.
Mr Shariff Abdullahi asked other minority groups to join the newfound unity of the Dorobo and Asheraf communities to support one candidate so that they are assured of representation after the August elections.
Pool their numbers together
He said with politics taking a tribal bent every election period, smaller communities must pool their numbers together to stand a chance of having political representation.
“The power to bring change is in our votes. Our unity will enable us to fight for our rights and ensure we benefit from subsequent governments,” Mr Abdullahi said.
Mr Shariff said if elected, he would prioritise security, quality education, empowerment of the youth, women and special groups and peaceful coexistence among communities in Isiolo.
“Let us keenly interrogate each candidate’s agenda and elect those who have the community’s interests at heart,” he appealed.
