The endorsement positions the incumbent MP as the community’s preferred candidate ahead of the Rerow Mahmoud delegates’ final verdict, with the September 17, 2026 meeting expected to reshape the constituency’s political landscape.
By Ahmed Salat Ali | Political Affairs Editor
Political temperatures are rising in Wajir West Constituency after the Rebkey Omar community, a section of the larger Rerow Mahmoud community, unanimously endorsed incumbent Member of Parliament Yusuf Mohamed Farah, popularly known as Yusuf Muliro, as its preferred candidate for the 2027 parliamentary contest.
The endorsement made during a colourful community gathering attended by elders, religious leaders, women, youth and other members of the Rebkey Omar community, effectively throws the community’s political weight behind Muliro as he seeks a second term in Parliament.
The gathering held in an atmosphere charged with political excitement and cultural celebration, saw speakers praise the incumbent MP for what they described as his development record and engagement with residents during his first term.
Traditional performances, including the celebrated Balagley dance, added colour to an event that increasingly assumed the character of an early campaign launch.
The endorsement now places Muliro at the centre of an unfolding political contest in Wajir West, a constituency whose voting patterns have historically made it an important battleground for candidates seeking elective positions beyond the parliamentary race.
“Yusuf Mohamed Farah is our choice. We have spoken as a community and we have endorsed him as our sole candidate for Wajir West MP,” one of the speakers declared during the gathering.
The event also featured a succession of speakers, including mzee shale ,Jelle Bute, Muhumed and Mama Halima iwho lauded Muliro’s leadership and urged the wider Wajir West electorate to consider granting him another term.
Shale praised Muliro for what he described as visible development and a leadership style centred on engaging ordinary residents.
“We have witnessed the work Yusuf Muliro has done in Wajir West. Leadership should be measured by what reaches the people and we believe he has demonstrated commitment to the development of this constituency. We are therefore asking the people of Wajir West to give him another opportunity,” Mzee Shale said.
Jelle Bute said the endorsement was the result of a collective decision by the Rebkey Omar community and called for the wider community to rally behind Muliro.
“This is not an individual decision. The community has spoken and our position is clear. We have endorsed Yusuf Mohamed Farah as our candidate and we now want to engage the other communities of Wajir West and ask them to support him for a second term,” Bute said.
Mzee Muhumed focused on the need for continuity, arguing that ongoing development projects require stable leadership and sustained political representation.
“Development cannot be achieved by constantly changing direction. Where projects have already been initiated, there must be continuity so that they can be completed and delivered to the people. That is why we believe Yusuf deserves another term,” Muhumed said.
Mama Halima called for unity within Wajir West and urged residents to approach the coming political season with maturity and peaceful coexistence.
“Our politics should unite us rather than divide us. We have endorsed Yusuf but we also want to see all the communities of Wajir West working together. The coming elections should be about development, unity and the future of our people,” Halima said.
They argued that the incumbent had demonstrated his ability to mobilise resources and implement development programmes across the constituency while maintaining close contact with residents.
From 2022 victory to second-term bid
Muliro emerged victorious in the 2022 General Election on an ODM ticket, securing a decisive victory over his principal challenger, Ahmed kolosh who has since emerged as a major political figure in the county and is seeking the Wajir gubernatorial seat in 2027.
Kolosh is also associated with the Rerow Mahmoud community’s gubernatorial political calculations, adding another layer of complexity to the political negotiations currently unfolding within the community.
Having secured his political backyard, Muliro is now expected to embark on a broader mobilisation strategy targeting the different communities residing in Wajir West.
The latest endorsement is therefore being viewed not merely as a declaration of support but as the opening phase of a wider political campaign aimed at consolidating his support base before he seeks votes from the wider electorate.
“We have received the endorsement of our people but Wajir West is bigger than one community. We must now reach out, engage every community and seek their support,” Muliro said in his acceptance remarks.
September 17 delegates’ meeting
The endorsement comes at a critical moment for the larger Rerow Mahmoud community, which is preparing for what is expected to be a decisive delegates’ process.
The community is scheduled to hold its final political deliberations on September 17, 2026, in Hadado, where delegates are expected to deliver a verdict on the preferred candidate for the Wajir West parliamentary seat.
The outcome of that meeting is being closely watched because of its potential to redefine the political arithmetic within Wajir West and the wider Rerow Mahmoud community.
For Muliro, the challenge is now to transform the Rebkey Omar endorsement into a broader consensus capable of surviving the competitive delegate process and ultimately the 2027 electoral contest.
Political observers are also watching how the various interests within Rerow Mahmoud will align ahead of the September meeting, particularly given the community’s influence in determining electoral outcomes in Wajir West.
Development record takes centre stage
During his acceptance speech, Muliro thanked the Rebkey Omar community and the wider Wajir West electorate for the confidence they had expressed in his leadership.
He pointed to projects and programmes undertaken during his first term as evidence of his commitment to constituency development.
Among the projects cited were the ongoing tarmacking of Hadado and Griftu towns, as well as the Shandurwa feedlot project.
However, Muliro placed particular emphasis on education, highlighting bursary support extended to needy students across Wajir West.
He said the bursary programme had enabled many students from vulnerable families to continue with their education while parents had benefited from direct engagement with his office.
“I thank the people of Rebkey Omar and the entire Wajir West community for the confidence they have shown in me. I have done my part during my first term but there is still more work to be completed. I am asking for another opportunity so that I can complete the projects that are already under way and deliver more for our people,” Muliro said.
His message was framed around continuity, with the MP arguing that a second term would provide him with the opportunity to consolidate projects already initiated rather than begin an entirely new development agenda.
Ruto endorsement enters the constituency debate
The Wajir West MP also used the occasion to make a broader national political pitch, urging residents to support President William Ruto for a second term in the 2027 General Election.
Muliro argued that the Kenya Kwanza Administration had initiated several development programmes in Northern Kenya and specifically cited projects in Wajir County.
Among the initiatives he referenced were affordable housing, housing projects for police officers and other ongoing government programmes.
“We must also look at the national leadership. President William Ruto has done a lot for Northern Kenya and Wajir. We should give him an opportunity to complete what his administration has started,” Muliro said.
The appeal effectively linked the parliamentary contest to the broader National political equation, as candidates across Northern Kenya increasingly position themselves around alliances that could define the 2027 presidential and county-level contests.
A swing constituency
Wajir West occupies a strategically important position in Wajir County politics.
The constituency's voting patterns can have implications beyond the parliamentary race, with its electorate often attracting the attention of candidates seeking the governor, senator and women representative positions.
This has made Wajir West a critical constituency in countywide political negotiations where candidates must build alliances across clan and community lines to assemble winning coalitions.
Its politics are widely regarded as fluid and highly competitive, with alliances capable of shifting as negotiations over elective positions intensify.
The latest Rebkey Omar endorsement therefore carries significance beyond the MP race.
It provides Muliro with an important political foundation but it does not automatically guarantee victory.
The incumbent must still navigate the wider Rerow Mahmoud political process, secure the confidence of delegates and subsequently convince voters across the constituency that he deserves another term.
Call for youth registration and unity
Muliro also used the occasion to appeal for unity and peaceful coexistence among the residents of Wajir West.
He urged communities to put aside political differences and maintain social cohesion as the country approaches the 2027 elections.
The MP particularly called on young people to register as voters in large numbers, arguing that voter registration would enable them to participate meaningfully in determining the political leadership of the country and the county.
“Our politics should not divide our people. We must remain united, coexist peacefully and allow every citizen to participate in the democratic process. I am asking our young people in particular to register as voters in large numbers,” he said.
A new political chapter
The endorsement ceremony ended in jubilation, with supporters calling for an aggressive grassroots mobilisation campaign ahead of the September 17 delegates’ meeting.
Community members were urged to embark on door-to-door mobilisation and engage delegates ahead of the crucial political gathering in Hadado.
For Muliro, the Rebkey Omar endorsement represents an important early victory in his quest for a second term.
But the bigger test lies ahead.
The September 17 Rerow Mahmoud delegates’ meeting could become a defining moment in Wajir West politics, potentially determining the direction of the parliamentary race and influencing the wider political alliances taking shape ahead of the 2027 General Election.
As the political clock ticks towards the polls, Wajir West is once again emerging as one of the constituencies to watch.
The Rebkey Omar endorsement may have provided Muliro with momentum but the final verdict will ultimately rest with the delegates and eventually the voters.
In Wajir West, the political contest has begun in earnest — and the battle for the constituency’s political soul is only getting started.
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