By The Weekly Vision Political Reporter
A growing chorus of discontent is emerging from Northern Kenya’s political class, with Dadaab MP Farah Maalim the latest and most forceful voice demanding that President William Ruto rein in Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale. Maalim has warned that failure to do so could drive the region’s entire political fraternity into opposition, accusing Duale of fomenting discord and deepening divisions.
Maalim has also revived the pointed nickname “Sultan Hasidi”, first popularised by Garissa Senator Abdul Haji. Senator Haji has accused Duale of waging a sustained political war against leaders across the region, including alleged efforts to undermine the family of the late Senator Yusuf Haji and to interfere in local succession battles by sponsoring rival traditional leaders. Wajir North MP Ibrahim Saney has previously described Duale’s approach as combative and self-serving, while Fafi MP Salah Yakub has criticised what he sees as overreach into county-level politics and an excessive focus on personal influence.
A coalition of North Eastern professionals has also distanced the region from some of Duale’s more controversial public remarks, insisting he does not speak for the broader community. These criticisms sit against a backdrop of long-standing personal and political rivalry between Maalim and Duale. The two have clashed repeatedly over more than a decade, most intensely during the 2017 contest for Garissa Township, where mutual accusations of clan favouritism, electoral manipulation and incitement marked a bitter campaign.
Their relationship has remained adversarial ever since, coloured by competing claims to regional leadership and differing visions of how Northern Kenya should engage with national power.
As the region’s leaders position themselves for the next electoral cycle, the pressure on President Ruto to manage these rivalries is intensifying. Whether the current wave of criticism hardens into a lasting realignment or remains a series of individual grievances will help shape both the region’s internal politics and its relationship with the centre in the years ahead.
