By: Musa Bashir
In recent weeks, the political climate in Kenya has been rattled by a storm of allegations, counterclaims, and fiery rebuttals, following remarks made by the former Deputy President while on a trip to the United States.
Speaking to an audience abroad, the former Deputy President alleged that President William Ruto had held secret night meetings in Mandera with leaders of the Somali-based Al-Shabaab militant group.
“The Americans want to know why you are working with Al-Shabaab, and why you meet three leaders of the militia at night to discuss business. They also want to know why you have removed vetting requirements for non-Kenyans. The Americans are concerned,” he said.
The allegations, tying the head of state to one of the most dangerous terror networks in the region, quickly reverberated back home. Northern Kenya, due to its geographical proximity to Somalia and history with cross-border insecurity, became the immediate focal point of the political fallout. The statements touched a raw nerve, sparking an avalanche of reactions from elected leaders and community representatives in the region.
Immediate Political Firestorm
Mandera North MP Bashir Abdullahi was one of the first to hit back. In an impassioned speech in Parliament, he sought to defend President Ruto while dismissing the allegations as baseless and dangerously misleading.
“Kenya is not a colony of America. Both Kenya and America have a mutual respect; we gain and they gain from us. The former Deputy President looks mentally disturbed and should be chained. Those words and statements should not befit the office he once held,” Bashir said.
Eldas MP Adan Keynan also weighed in with a more personal rebuttal: “Gachagua, are you calling me Al-Shabaab? Are you insulting Muslims?” he asked, framing the comments as a direct affront to both the Somali community and the Islamic faith.
The backlash was not limited to elected officials. The Pastoralists Community Professional Association (PCPA), an influential socio-political body representing professionals from pastoralist communities, issued a strongly worded statement through its secretary, Yunis Ibrahim Sheikh:
“His unfounded attempt to link easing of vetting protocols affecting ethnic Somali Kenyans to terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab is both false and dangerously divisive,” the statement read.
The PCPA accused the former Deputy President of spreading misinformation and fuelling distrust between communities, warning that such rhetoric could have far-reaching consequences for inter-ethnic cohesion and national unity.
A Risk of Unintended Profiling
While the region’s leaders rallied to the President’s defence, political analysts caution that their aggressive, sometimes personal, rebuttals may inadvertently reinforce the very stereotypes they seek to dismantle. Linking the Somali identity to terrorism—whether in defence or condemnation—risks entrenching the “us versus them” mentality that has historically alienated the region.
The former Deputy President has since attempted to clarify his remarks, emphasising that his criticism was not directed at ethnic Somalis in Kenya.
“I have no issue with the people of Northern Kenya; they are Kenyans. My concern is about the removal of vetting for IDs, which will make it easier for people from Somalia, who are not Kenyan citizens, to acquire identification documents. The vetting process has never blocked Kenyan Somalis from getting IDs—it has only prevented non-Kenyans from accessing them.”
Despite this clarification, the political damage was already done. The issue of vetting for IDs remains deeply sensitive in Northern Kenya, where many view its removal as an overdue step toward equity and inclusion, while others see it as a loophole for cross-border infiltration by non-citizens.
Northern Kenya: More Than a Security Narrative
For decades, Northern Kenya has been framed in national discourse through a narrow lens of insecurity, marginalisation, and poverty. Yet this vast region—spanning Mandera, Wajir, Garissa, Marsabit, Turkana, and Isiolo—holds immense economic promise. It is strategically positioned at the crossroads of East Africa, with access to Ethiopian and Somali markets, and is home to some of the richest untapped mineral deposits in the country.
The region is also Kenya’s undisputed leader in livestock production, supplying much of the beef, goat, and camel meat consumed domestically. With the right infrastructure, it could dominate international markets. Wajir International Airport stands as a gateway for direct export of fresh meat to Gulf states, where demand for high-quality halal meat is consistent and lucrative. Investments in cold-chain storage, modern slaughterhouses, and processing plants could turn pastoralism into a multi-billion-shilling industry.
President Ruto’s government has already begun strategic infrastructure projects—most notably, the tarmacking of key roads into Mandera—to enhance connectivity, open up trade routes, and attract investment. These projects are part of a broader vision to integrate Northern Kenya into the national economy.
The Cost of the “Victim Card” Politics
Despite these opportunities, analysts warn that some local leaders continue to cling to the politics of victimhood—leveraging narratives of marginalisation and second-class citizenship to gain political mileage or bargaining power with the central government. While historical neglect is a reality, perpetually framing Northern Kenya as a neglected backwater undermines investor confidence and sustains dependency rather than self-reliance.
This approach not only risks economic stagnation but also plays into the very stereotypes that keep the region sidelined in the national imagination. In the context of the current controversy, repeated association of the region with terrorism—whether as an accusation or rebuttal—only serves to reinforce a damaging narrative that scares off investors and discourages tourism.
The Next Dubai of Kenya
Rebranding Northern Kenya as “the next Dubai of Kenya” is not just political rhetoric; it is an attainable vision if leaders unite behind a positive, development-focused agenda. By capitalising on livestock exports, mineral wealth, renewable energy potential, and cross-border trade, the region can become a vibrant commercial hub.
Achieving this requires a decisive break from combative and divisive politics. Leaders must replace defensive posturing with strategic marketing of the region’s assets, showcasing its economic potential rather than its security challenges. Partnerships with investors, both domestic and foreign, can unlock the resources needed to transform Northern Kenya into a powerhouse of trade, industry, and agriculture.
The recent political storm underscores a delicate truth: the words of national leaders have real consequences for how communities are perceived and how regions are positioned in the national and international arena. In defending their people and their President, Northern Kenya’s leaders must ensure they are not inadvertently perpetuating the profiling they seek to dismantle.
The choice before them is clear—cling to the politics of marginalisation and reactionary rhetoric, or embrace a forward-looking vision that markets Northern Kenya as a land of opportunity, ready to take its place as a key driver of Kenya’s future prosperity.
