Northeastern leaders to rally 1.1m residents to register as voters ahead of 2027, Duale says

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale speaking at Garissa High School.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale joins students of Garissa High school to a traditional song.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale interacts with parents at Garissa high school.

Leaders from Northeastern region will soon embark on an aggressive grassroots mobilisation drive to ensure more than 1.1 million residents who are eligible voters are registered to vote ahead of the 2027 elections.

Health Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said many residents of Northeastern have national identification cards but have yet to register as voters.

“There are 1.1 million Somalis with ID cards, but they don’t have voter cards. We will go to the villages and carry out massive voter registration campaigns, and we will add more so that we can make sure President William Ruto gets as many votes as possible from this region,” Duale said.

He was speaking at Garissa High School during the handing over of the school bus on Saturday.

Duale, who is the most senior government official from the Somali community in the Kenya Kwanza administration, said the region had no regrets about supporting President William Ruto’s government, citing development commitments and inclusivity.

“We have no apologies to make to anybody for supporting President William Ruto. We made a conscious decision. He has shown the will, he has shown the way, and he has shown the commitment to develop our region and to consider our community in his government,” Duale said.

The three northeastern counties of Garissa, Wajir and Mandera recorded a combined 626,621 votes in the 2022 General Election. However, leaders believe the numbers could rise significantly following recent government policy changes, especially in the acquisition of identification cards.

In February last year, President Ruto, while on a working tour of the region, signed a directive removing the vetting process that had previously denied many residents the opportunity to acquire national identity cards.

Duale also took a swipe at former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua over his recent remarks on national school placements.

In early January, Gachagua urged leaders from Northeastern and other northern regions to focus on using devolved funds to build schools and infrastructure instead of relying on affirmative action for national school admissions.

On Thursday, Duale was on the receiving end of Gachagua’s attacks, with the minister being accused of a myriad of issues among them stopping the appointment of several people from the region to key positions.

However, Duale, who did not respond to the attacks that were directly aimed at him instead chose to focus on issuing a clarion call for national unity and integration, urging Kenyans to shun leaders who propagate hate and division.

“National unity and integration cannot be achieved through exclusionary approaches like it is being propagated by some individuals. You started with shares, which saw you impeached. Now you have brought the issue of placement of our children in schools. Which country will we be building?” Duale said.

“President Ruto has told us he is committed to leaving a legacy of building one united, indivisible nation where every Kenyan will be served as a Kenyan—not because of political affiliation, community, gender, region or religion. We are fully supporting him to make sure this happens,” he added.