The race for the Garissa governor’s seat has taken a new turn after the Awliyahan community formally threw its weight behind Senator Abdulkadir Haji as its sole candidate for the 2027 General Election.
The endorsement brings together the Awliyahan and Samawadhal communities under the Talasame Alliance, creating a major political bloc ahead of next year’s polls.
Haji, who comes from the Samawadhal clan, had already secured the backing of his community earlier this year. The latest endorsement by Awliyahan effectively gives his gubernatorial bid the backing of both sides of the alliance.
The decision was announced in Garissa town during a ceremony attended by community elders, sultans, political leaders, professionals and representatives of the two communities.
Awliyahan Sultanate chairperson Ugas Ahmed Sheikh Muhumed said the endorsement followed extensive consultations and was reached through a unanimous decision within the community.
“We recognise 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,” Ugas said.
Awliyahan Sultan Hamud Sheikh said the community had made its position clear and would not support another candidate seeking the governor’s seat.
“He will be our only candidate for the governor’s seat. Anyone else who contests will not have our community’s support,” Sultan Hamud said.
Haji accepted the endorsement, thanking the Awliyahan leadership and elders for their confidence in his candidature.
The senator sought to present the alliance as a political partnership rather than a clan-based arrangement, saying its objective was to bring together communities and pursue development.
“We do not want politics of exclusion but one that brings everyone on board,” Haji said.
The senator also pointed to previous political agreements between Awliyahan and Samawadhal in 2013 and 2022, saying the partnerships had demonstrated the strength of the two communities when they worked together.
This time, however, the alliance is expected to extend beyond the governor and deputy governor positions. Haji said the 2027 agreement would also cover the Woman Representative and Garissa Township parliamentary seats.
“This time round, the coalition agreement will incorporate the Woman Representative and Garissa Township seats, which will also go to the Awliyahan community,” he said.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama described the alliance as organised and ready to begin mobilising support ahead of the election.
Dadaab MP Farah Maalim also urged Haji and his supporters to move from negotiations to an aggressive grassroots campaign.
“With the coalition now sealed, we are going to hit the ground and consolidate the votes,” Maalim said.
EALA MP Falhada Iman backed Haji as a potential unifying figure, describing him as a leader with a clean record and the ability to bring different communities together.
The endorsement is likely to have a significant impact on the Garissa governor’s race, particularly for former Lagdera MP Mohamed Shidiye, who is now outside the preferred political arrangement of the Awliyahan community.
Other potential contenders include former governor Ali Korane, former Principal Secretary Abdi Dubat and former Ijara MP Ibrahim Abass.
Garissa’s politics have historically been heavily influenced by clan alliances, with the Awliyahan, Abduwak and Samawadhal among the county’s major Somali clan groupings.
With the Talasame Alliance now formally backing Haji, the political contest for Garissa’s top seat is expected to intensify as rival camps begin building their own coalitions ahead of the 2027 election.
