MOGADISHU, Somalia – Envoys sent by Kenya’s President William Ruto gathered behind closed doors with Somalia’s Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre. Insiders whispered to Axadle that electoral tensions between Mogadishu and Kismayo were front and center.
Just two weeks ago, Somalia’s President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had a chinwag with Ruto in Eldoret, asking for Kenya’s help in brokering peace with Jubaland’s head honcho, Ahmed Islam Mohamed Madobe.
The rift between these two bigwigs stems from differing views on the election blueprint for Somalia. Madobe leans toward indirect polls, but Hassan Sheikh is digging his heels in for direct voting, even seeking legislative tweaks to back it up.
Details of the tete-a-tete between the delegation and Barre remain hush-hush. However, the team had prior chats with Madobe in Kismayo before jetting to Mogadishu. Jubaland’s alliance is pivotal to Kenya’s security strategy.
Ambassadors Mahboub Moallin, Mohamed Abdi Affey, and Abdirahman Ali Hassan Colow huddled with Hamza Abdi Barre post-discussions with Madobe, intending to debrief Ruto on their findings.
In Somalia, the Kenyan Defence Forces (KDF) have established Jubaland as a bulwark against Al-Shabaab. This collaboration has been tight-knit, though at times, Somalia has grumbled about Kenya meddling with its sovereignty.
Madobe has since commandeered Kismayo Airport, thwarting potential deployments of Mogadishu’s top troops, suspecting they might be poised to disrupt the indirect electoral play. His take? Direct polls could mean term extensions for the country’s leaders.
But Hassan Sheikh argues that election shakeups would elevate Somalia’s democratic standing, even though there’s nary a sign of proper infrastructure to pull it off. Meanwhile, Northeastern State, in northern Somalia, is also not buying what Hassan Sheikh is selling.
AXADLETM
