Muktar seeks Lafey backing as Warfay Hersi family endorses his bid

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Lafey parliamentary aspirant Muktar Billow Salat has called on residents of the constituency to rally behind his bid.

Muktar is promising to usher in a new style of leadership anchored on accessibility, accountability, consultation and transparency.

Muktar, a youthful Senior Principal Kadhi, made the appeal on Sunday at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) in Nairobi, where hundreds of residents and supporters from Lafey Constituency gathered for a political meeting during which the Warfay Hersi family formally endorsed his candidature for the parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election.

The endorsement gives Muktar an important boost as he seeks to consolidate support ahead of next year's elections, with the aspirant describing the race as a journey that had already gathered momentum.

“I call upon the people of Lafey Constituency to stand with us in this journey that we started a few months ago. We are sure that we will reach the final stage with the support of our family and the people of Lafey,” Muktar said.

He added: “The journey is not long. It is just 10 months to that date, and InshaAllah, we will reach there safely. The train has already left the station,”.

The aspirant said his decision to seek the seat was not driven by personal enrichment, but by a desire to introduce what he termed a fundamentally different model of leadership in the constituency.

Muktar outlined four pillars that he said would guide his administration if elected to Parliament — accessibility, accountability, consultation and transparency.

He pledged to remain accessible to residents, arguing that leaders who are inaccessible risk becoming rulers rather than representatives of the people.

“A leader who is not accessible is more of a ruler than a leader. If you support me and elect me as your next Member of Parliament in the 14th Parliament, I will be accessible to each and every individual in our society,” he said.

On accountability, Muktar said public resources allocated to Lafey must be managed prudently to address pressing needs, particularly in education.

He questioned why students from vulnerable families continue to struggle with school fees despite funds being allocated for education support through constituency development programmes.

“If the funds we receive from the National Treasury are well managed, they are enough to cater for the education needs of our people in Lafey Constituency,” he said.

He promised to make public participation a central feature of his leadership, saying residents would be consulted regardless of their social or economic status.

“We are not dictators. We will provide a forum for consultation. We want to consult with each and every individual in our society, regardless of their financial status, gender or any other consideration,” he said.

On transparency, Muktar pledged that residents would have access to information on development projects, including their budgets, costs and implementation.

He said the people should no longer be kept in the dark about how public projects are conceived, financed and executed.

Beyond the endorsement, Muktar painted a grim picture of the constituency's development situation, blaming what he described as years of poor leadership for the limited progress in some parts of Lafey.

He said the constituency needed a fresh approach focused on infrastructure, healthcare, education, employment, security, investment and sustainable livelihoods.

According to the aspirant, Lafey has hardworking communities, vast tracts of land and considerable economic potential but continues to grapple with unmet basic needs and missed opportunities.

He challenged residents to demand more from their elected representatives, arguing that development should be measured by tangible improvements in people's lives rather than short-term interventions.

“Lafey needs to catch up with the rest of Kenya. We cannot continue doing things the same way and expect a different outcome. Our people deserve better roads, better healthcare, better schools, reliable water and, most importantly, opportunities to earn a decent livelihood,” Muktar said.

He also questioned the development impact of successive MPs, urging residents to critically examine what has been achieved.

“Our people must ask themselves: What can we point at and say this has fundamentally changed our lives? Billions of shillings have passed through the constituency over the years, but there is still a huge gap between what our people need and what is on the ground,” he said.

Muktar said his campaign would seek to move the Lafey contest beyond personalities and clan politics and instead focus on the constituency's development trajectory.

He pledged to involve residents in identifying priorities and monitoring projects from planning through to completion.

“This is not about changing a name on a ballot paper. It is about changing the reality on the ground,” he said.

He envisioned a Lafey where residents can access emergency healthcare without travelling long distances, roads are improved, schools provide quality education, towns attract investment and young people have meaningful economic opportunities.

Speaking on behalf of the Warfay family, Ibrahim Alley said the community reached a consensus to endorse Muktar as its preferred candidate and flag bearer for Lafey Constituency.

Alley said the decision followed a lengthy consultative process that lasted more than a year and involved youth, elders, women, businesspeople, professionals and other stakeholders.

He said Muktar emerged from a field of eight aspirants after consultations that began at the village level.

“It was through this consultative process that Hon. Muktar Billow Salat was unanimously selected and agreed upon,” Alley said.

He cited Muktar's 14 years of service on the Kadhi's bench and his current position as Senior Principal Kadhi as part of the experience that informed the community's decision.

Muktar also previously served as Deputy Secretary-General of the Kenya Magistrates and Judges Association and currently sits on the Executive Council of the East African Magistrates and Judges Association.

He holds a Bachelor's degree in Sharia Law and a Master's degree in Public Administration.

Alley said the aspirant's selection was undertaken after considering several professionals, including lawyers, a former assistant minister and former parliamentary aspirants.

The endorsement, he said, was intended to formally communicate the family's decision and rally its members behind Muktar's candidature.

The community also announced its support for President William Ruto's re-election in the 2027 General Election.

The endorsement comes against the backdrop of the influential role played by elders in the political affairs of Somali and other pastoralist communities in northern Kenya.

In the region, political contests have traditionally been shaped not only by political parties and individual campaign networks but also by clan negotiations, community consultations and consensus-building processes involving elders.

An endorsement by influential elders can provide a candidate with an important political advantage by consolidating the support of a sizeable section of the community before the formal campaign period gains momentum.

For Muktar, Sunday's endorsement represents an important step in his bid to capture the Lafey parliamentary seat.

But with the 2027 election still months away, he faces the bigger task of translating the endorsement into wider constituency-wide support.