The Isiolo’s ‘Pentagon’ team comprising of Senator Fatuma Dullo, Woman Rep Rehema Jaldesa, Nominated Senator Abshiro Halake and MPs Hassan Odha and Abdi Koropu of Isiolo North and South died long time ago.
The five MPs who for nearly one year were embroiled in land registration tussle with Governor Mohammed Kuti, on grounds that August 2019 legal notice was illegal as no adequate public participation had been done, have officially divorced with each taking their own path.
Though Covid-19 partially rescued Governor Kuti from the continued attacks, as political meetings were banned, the Building Bridges Initiative that was recently annuled by High Court worked in his favour.
Sources say the split among the leaders came as good riddance to Governor Kuti as their continued unity, he feared, could threaten his re-election.
And while the cracks are so bare, the breakup will adversely impact on the county’s accountability quest by the leaders and badly hurt political ambitions for MPs Odha and Koropu whose popularity has been dimming by the day.
As we had opined earlier, the BBI report was obviously expected to split the team and it surely did with Senators Dullo and Abshiro and MP Odha publicly declaring their support for the constitutional amendments and Ms Jaldesa opposing on the other side.
The BBI created pro and anti government factions with each of the splinter groups pushing for their own ‘electorates’ interests.
It is the same document that broke the political dalliance between Ms Dullo and Ms Jaldesa, who are the most vocal leaders, with the former saying the county could not afford to be outside the government and the latter poking holes into the report for scrapping off the Woman Rep’s seat among other issues.
This, one of the leaders recently said, had affected their working relationship making it hard for them to push on with the land struggle.
MP Odha who was previously banking on Ms Jaldesa to help him consolidate votes from their Borana community, was dealt huge blow due to the BBI differences and is currently praying that more aspirants express interest so that votes are spoilt as that would be his easiest way to reclaim the seat.
Surprisingly, only Ms Jaldesa has been occasionally speaking on matters of interest to Mwananchi with her colleagues rarely voicing public concerns.
Ms Halakhe and Mr Koropu have already joined hands with Governor Kuti due to their common BBI stand and will possibly be in the political grouping that Dr Kuti will use in his re-election.
Pundits predict that Mr Odha could as well shift to Governor Kuti’s side for support as his re-election hangs in the balance.
This will leave Ms Dullo and Ms Jaldesa trodding different paths as we head to 2022 general elections where they might battle it out for Senator’s seat should BBI be passed and County MP’s seat scrapped.
Though the two elected women leaders still remain popular, losing three of their colleagues to Governor Kuti’s side is a huge blow and cannot be underrated.
The differences between the leaders has and continues to impede the push to have the community land registered to pave way for the titling exercise which could take longer than expected owing to pending cases in court and the lack of political unity.
With campaign period nearing, majority of the leaders might not direct a lot of energy to the issue as will start wooing residents for re-election and should the residents be unlucky, the process might be undertaken after the 2022 elections.
The land registration should be done in consultations with all stakeholders and expedited so that we end rampant land grabbing cases and allow residents to develop their plots and start earning from the properties.
Betty Luke
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