By Abdimalik Hajir - Reporter
Kenya, 17 August 2026 - Garissa Senator Abdul Haji’s expanding political footprint beyond his traditional support base is raising concern among rivals in the race for the Garissa governorship.
Already, Mr Haji has appealed to voters in the backyard of his key rivals and gone against all odds including some of the current political heavyweight.
In the recent past, the senator has been politically crisscrossing by doing town hall meetings with the residents of perceived strongholds of his key rivals including the ambassador Mohamed Shidiye.
For the last one week he has met with different Aulihan sub-clans including Abokor Cade, Sonqad, Hawes, Rer Ali, Afwah, amongst other sub-clans who have all declared their support.
In return, the Samawathal will support the Deputy Governor position, the senator, women representative as well as Garissa township member of parliament.
Abdul managed to rally support and appealed to the Aulihan council of elders and got full-fledged endorsement from Shidiye council of elders and professional elites headed by Sultan Hamud and Ambassador (Engineer) Mahboub Maalim Mohamed, the chair for the equalization fund advisory fund.
Local political pundits have predicted Senator Haji has what it takes to be the next Governor of Garissa, they argued that the senator will propel on the legacy built by the late father, generational wealth, power influence and other networks.
In a way to galvanize the whole Garissa County voters, the senator has been consolidating voters from his Samawathal backyard and Aulihan, this is after he was fully endorsed by his samawathal community for the seat.
The senator has the campaign machinery to energize and is capable of bringing together residents across Garissa County with analysts whose influence in government circles make him ahead of other candidates.
In the advent of devolution, council of elders have become powerful with local politicians applying to them before an official endorsement, with both support of his samawathal council of elders and that of Aulihan, analyst believe he has upper hand in the run up to the 2027 gubernatorial contest.
In the past days, senator Abdul has gone further to appeal members of parliament from another aspirant ambassador Ali Korane and Dubat Fidhow.
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The senator has been sharing political platforms with the young generation MPs including Fafi parliament Salah Yakub, Balambala MP Abdi Omar Shurie as well as Garissa County women representative Udgood Siyad, this is seen as him having consolidating his support based before the 2027 General elections.
The Mps who represent the backyard of CS Adan Duale who is supporting a rival candidate for the gubernatorial seat, Duale and the senator have been engaged in a war of words in the recent past.
While Haji accused the CS of allegedly sponsoring the coronation of another Sultan from his Samawathal backyard and trying to interfere with his support base, Duale on other hand told off Haji for what he said the political kitchen will be ‘hot’ towards the dates of the elections.
“This man has been interfering with all political formations and clans within Garissa and has even gone ahead to interfere with that of Wajir and Mandera,” Abdul said in one his engagement.
Abdul Haji, who is the son of the late veteran politician Yusuf Haji, has repeatedly told locals that his rivals are bitter because of the alliance between his Samawathal and Aulihan clan.
Garissa is dominated by three Ogaden clan namely Abduwaq, Aulihan and Samwathal, while in all the elections Samawathal have deputized the two but this time with Abdul’s full swing into the ring of the gubernatorial contest he will be the first if elected from the community to be the governor.
Senator Haji who is the younger brother of Noordin Haji, the current National Intelligence Service (NIS) director, while addressing Abokor Cade meeting told locals that he has a plan to transform the county if elected.
He noted that he will ensure that fruits of devolution are felt in every corner of the county emphasizing that he has continued doing his oversight role while he was senator for the county.
Currently there are other candidates who are seeking the gubernatorial contest, including former Governor Ali Korane, former PS Abdiqani Dubat, Moulid Shurie, ambassador Mohamed Shidiye and former Ijara member of Parliament Ahmed Ibrahim Abass.