• Trouble started when ousted team led by Majority Leader in the Assembly Abubakar Khalif tried to access the office which was already occupied by the opposing side.
• The previous day had seen changes made which saw Dadaab MCA Mohamed Abdi Farah picked as the Majority leader.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
Two opposing sides at the Garissa County Assembly on Friday nearly come to blows as they fought over who should occupy the office of the Leader of Majority.
Trouble started when the ousted team led by Majority Leader in the Assembly Abubakar Khalif tried to access the office which was already occupied by the opposing side led by Dadaab MCA Mohamed Abdi Farah.
The previous day had seen changes made which saw Farah picked as the Majority leader.
Other changes saw Sankuri Ward MCA Abdirahman Borr replaced by Abdirahman Muktar as the deputy Majority leader.
Ahmed Abdirahman Sheikh was made the Majority whip replacing Abdi Ibrahim while Timira Bashir was picked as the deputy Majority whip.
Mahat Abdikadir is the new County Assembly service board member replacing Omar Abdi Hassan.
Ousted Majority Leader in the Assembly Abubakar Khalif had moved to court and obtained orders reinstating him.
"Pending the hearing and determination of the application, an interim order is hereby issued staying the implementation of the decision and the declaration of the speaker of the county Assembly pursuant to two letters dated September 3, 2023 on the replacement of the 1st and 2nd complainants as the Majority party and Majority Whip in the County Assembly of Garissa.
"The Notice of Motion application dated September 7, 2023 be and is hereby certified urgent for consideration ex-parte in this first instance only," reads part of the court order.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
The Khalif-led team, armed with the court order and other documents which they had already served to the Clerk and the Speaker, stormed the office as they tried to force the other group out.
The new group, however, stood their ground as Farah remained seated on the Majority leader's seat.
The two sides then started shouted at each other with each side claiming to be the legitimate side.
So heated was the argument that police had to come in and restore order.
As all this was happening, Speaker Abdi Idle and the Assembly Clerk Mohamed Santur were not in the vicinity.
Speaking to the press in his office, Farah who was flanked by several members allied to his camp said that the changes that were carried out were in accordance with the law.
He was reacting to allegations that the said changes were not sanctioned by the Azimio coalition.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
"It is important to note that the Assembly of Garissa is an autonomous institution and we have every right to do our own things so long as we follow the law. In this case, we did everything right. There was no need of informing our coalition leadership," he said.
However, speaking outside the office, the ousted team led by Khalif described the development as an illegal attempt orchestrated by a few members of the coalition.
"It is unfortunate that the Speaker has stooped too low and has decided not to be a neutral arbiter but one who is siding with one camp. He oversaw the violation of rules and procedures of electing or having a new leadership,” he said.
"We never come to this institution to fight because we believe that this is an institution of law and order which needs to be respected. What we did is we went to court and obtained a court order which we have since served the relevant authorities including the clerk and the speaker unfortunately our colleagues have refused to follow the orders,” he said.
Khalif who was flanked by colleagues Hajir Dahiye (Abakaile), Abdirahman Borr (Sankuri) Omar Abdi (Damajaley) and Khatra Iman (Nominated) blamed the relevant institutions like the police for not protecting them saying that they are the ones who should have been in the forefront in enforcing the order.
Image: STEPHEN ASTARIKO
"The sergeant at arms and the police should be enforcing this order. Unfortunately, they are nowhere to be seen. We are not in a banana republic where you wake up one day pick yourself to a certain position then you start bragging,” he said.
On his part, Dahiye wondered how the whole exercise was carried out.
He said the normal procedure should have had a notice made by the members in Garissa and the Azimio coalition should then have communicated the changes to members.
"The speaker decided to remove an envelop and read some resolutions that he said were from Azimio coalition purporting that we had changed our leadership. I can tell you that non of whatever he said took place,” Dahiye said.
"We are surprised if the Speaker is unable to follow the procedures of this House, if he is unable to follow the procedures of Azimio, respect the decision as communicated to him by the highest office, we are wondering what kind of rules that he wants to engage.”
On his part, the Sankuri Ward representative who was also among those affected said the Political Parties Act was clear that for a leader to be removed from a certain position, there needs to be a communication from the whip inviting members to come to the meeting with the shared agendas, this he noted was not done.
On Thursday, in a letter dated September 7 and addressed to the Assembly Speaker, signed by Azimio coalition Secretary Junet Mohamed and copied to all the MCAs who had been replaced, dismissed the new changes and instead said that the status quo remains.
"It has been brought to our attention of a communication dated September 3, 2023 and received in your office on September 5, 2023 purporting to change the leadership of the Majority party/coalition in the Garissa County Assembly,” the letter said.