By Our Correspondent
The United Democratic Movement (UDM), under the control of Senator Ali Ibrahim Roba, Governor Mohamed Adan Khalif (MAK), and Mandera North MP Major Bashir Abdullahi, has become less of a political party and more of a tool to preserve a failing status quo.
Rather than championing development or delivering essential services, UDM’s operations appear designed to shield entrenched political and business interests. The party primarily serves a cartel of county power players, including Governor Khalif, Senator Roba, Deputy Governor Dr Mohamed Ali, Speaker Omar Sala, several MCAs, County Executive Committee Members (CECs), and County Chiefs. Together, they have turned the county into a tightly controlled enterprise, with little regard for accountability or public service.
Mandera County continues to reel under endemic mismanagement, land grabbing, rising poverty, youth unemployment, insecurity, and poor public services. Yet, the leadership trio, Roba, Khalif, and Bashir, have positioned themselves as both politicians and contractors, benefiting from state resources while perpetuating economic despair among their constituents.
Critics argue that by aligning with the Ruto-Raila coalition, Roba and Khalif are seeking political protection from the national government to solidify their hold over the region through a clan-centric party agenda. The likely outcome, however, is further socio-economic degradation for Mandera residents.
Should UDM retain power in the 2027 elections, the people of Mandera may be condemned to a cycle of failure, regret, and worsening hardship. Under the current leadership, ordinary citizens are marginalised from governance. Access to political power is reserved for the wealthy or those aligned with wealth—individuals expected to defend elite interests, not public ones.
Policies under UDM disproportionately harm the middle class and stifle small enterprises, providing an uneven playing field that favours the elite. Regulatory frameworks have narrowed in focus, safeguarding the economic dominance of a few while exacerbating inequality.
This elite class has manipulated clan divisions to maintain control, introducing repressive structures that enable them to appoint local administrators loyal only to their interests. The result has been the systemic exclusion of the poor, persons with disabilities, and other marginalised groups from decision-making spaces.
UDM has also enabled the selective application of justice, effectively shielding its top leadership from legal scrutiny. The political climate engineered by Governor Khalif’s supporters is hostile to dissent, fostering political militancy and rampant graft.
This atmosphere of fear, disharmony, and political coercion is corrosive to the peace-loving people of Mandera. Khalif, widely seen as Roba’s close ally, now finds himself politically threatened by competent, nationally respected technocrats like former Cabinet Secretary Adan Mohamed and ex-Senator Billow Kerrow.
Mandera residents deserve better. In the upcoming 2027 elections, they must reject recycled leadership and vote for individuals with a proven track record, leaders who have excelled beyond Mandera and even beyond Kenya’s borders. Settling for another ‘project’ under the same failing leadership would be a grave disservice to future generations.
