Boniface Ongeri
6 April 2008
Nairobi — Mohammed Hussein Ali, the Mandera East constituency MP, had never engaged in active politics prior to the last General Election.
The polls will remain embedded in the constituents' minds as one where a novice trounced seasoned politicians.
Unlike other politicians who are catapulted into Parliament through political activisms, Ali was reserved and kept off public limelight. When he first expressed interest in the seat, many could not figure him out.
But he had actively engaged himself in community self-help projects to assist the needy and raised funds to finance institutions of learning and job creation for the youth.
Perhaps it is these philanthropic work that endeared him to the electorate when he offered himself for the seat on an ODM ticket.
In the polls, he beat Mr Ahmed Takoy and former MP and Local Government assistant minister, Mr Issack Shabaan.
Barely known beyond oil industry circles, his competitors ignored him and paid dearly.
Before plunging into politics, Ali was the General Manager at Hass Petroleum (K) Limited.
"I was touched by the suffering of the people and thought I could be of help if I joined politics," he says.
There are so many people who share his official names, including the Commissioner of Police. For easy identification, the MP is known as Qaras, Somali for a joker.
However, he knows the job at hand is not a joke.
Constituents will be keenly watching whether he will instill the entrepreneurial skills into leadership and spur the constituency to prosperity.
If he does, he will stand out from the previous legislators.
The political bug bit him during the 2005 referendum on the draft constitution. He joined the Orange side to oppose the Wako draft.
During the controversial party primaries, pundits had ruled him out of clinching the seat but he shocked many by emerging winner with 12,545 votes against Shabaan's 9, 434 votes.
With endorsement from clan elders, who hold influence on the voting pattern in the constituency, Ali was only waiting for confirmation come elections.
Now as an MP he says he will offer alternative leadership.
"The Constituency Development Fund (CDF) can do wonders if managed properly. Lack of professional management of the kitty has been an impediment," he says.
The MP asserts: " I bring along sincerity, fresh ideas and experience from private sector in managing the funds. I will inject my entrepreneurial skills to rejuvenate trade in the constituency."
Drought and insecurity
The major obstacles in the constituency are perpetual drought and insecurity. But he says the community needs to be educated on the need to keep manageable herds to check mass death of animals and also venture into irrigation to curb famine.
The constituents are often at loggerheads with their Mandera Central counterparts over pasture and water.
"I will reconcile the two constituencies to ensure an enabling environment for development. But for this to be realised, we need to address poverty and unemployment," he says.
His priorities for the constituency will be communication, education and health.
"I will lobby the Government through Parliament to improve the road network and communication infrastructure," he says.
The constituency has been on a free fall in education standards for the last four decades. Girl child education has even been worse. Educationists place the ratio of boys to girls in schools at 4:1.
"Education is key to any community's development. I will place greater emphasis on the sector.
"With the constituency's Bursary fund and support from donor agencies, we cannot only build schools but also employ more competent teaching staff to improve the teacher/pupil ratio," he says.
He notes that being a first-time MP is a challenge but he will overcome it.
Born in 1968 in Arabia location, Ali attended primary school in Arabia and Mandera DEB primary schools. Upon completion in 1985 he proceeded to Wajir Boys High School.
He joined Kenyatta University and graduated in 1995 with a Bachelor of Arts (Maths option) degree.
He has worked for Kenya Railways as an Assistant Systems Analyst. Ali married Fatuma Athar in 1993 and they have a girl, 12.
"We are answerable to the electorate and their opinions, whether negative or positive, matter a lot," the MP says.
Ali spends his free time reading and reaching out to the less fortunate.
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