Mandera County Senator Mohamed Maalim Mahamud has told the court that he does not believe in elders when it comes to politics.
While giving his testimony before Justice Francis Tuiyot, the senator said that it is in his view that elders should should get involved in politics should get involved in politics but not in anointing leaders.
It is in his view that ‘Negotiated Democracy’ is against the constitution since the law provides that every person has a right to vie for any elective public office.
‘Negotiated Democracy was a method used by the elders to reduce competition for the desired candidate to win.
During cross examination by the petitioner’s lawyer Professor Tom Ojienda, the senator said that he believes the election was fair even in Mandera North constituency which has been narrowed down to become the center of dispute votes. Mandera constituency is now the only constituency that the petitioner alleges that the results were altered resulting in Maalim being declared the winner.
“I do not mind if the recount is done but let it be done for the whole county, why are you advocating for only Mandera North,” Maalim questioned.
During reexamination by his lawyer Kioko Kilukumi, Maalim told the court that the reason why Jubilee party lost the MCA seats in Mandera North was because they had several candidates contesting for the seat unlike the other parties which had only one candidate.
He added that EFP calls themselves the Tukuma while they refer to us as Firfisa meaning dispersal since they refused to agree to their selective methods.
EFP senatorial candidate Hassan Aden Osman filed the petition challenging the election of Maalim on grounds that the election was not conducted in accordance with the constitution.
Aden Osman who garnered 62,769 against Muhamud’s 71890 claims that the election was marred by massive irregularities.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Mandera County Returning Officer and the Senator have been named as respondents in the matter.
