Isiolo South by election: Tubi Jnr gets endorsement from clans, leaders

Section of the crowd following proceeding during a meeting attended by UDA nominee for Isiolo South parliamentary by election Tubi Mohamed Tubi where all representatives of clans in Isiolo County pledged to support his bid at Kinna trading centre on January 17, 2026. [Photo Ali Abdi,Standard]

UDA nominee for Isiolo South parliamentary seat, Tubi Mohamed Tubi, has received a major boost after getting endorsement from various clans and political leaders.

Tubi Jnr spent the entire Saturday in Kinna ward of Isiolo South Constituency in meetings with elders, youth, women, and political leaders, his first public appearance since being picked by family members and endorsed by elders to vie for the seat that fell vacant following the death of his father on November 12.

He was accompanied in a convoy of vehicles from Isiolo town by a delegation comprising all Borana clans and their counterparts from among others the Sakuye, Gabra, and Somali, where he was formally ' handed over ' to those from Kinna ward, the rural home of the late MP.

The delegates from Isiolo town, who were led by former Isiolo North MP Haji Charfano Guyo Mokku, former Borana Council of Elders (BCE) chairman Abdullahi Haji Gonjobe, and Karayu clans Secretary General Tache Bonsa, among others, told their counterparts that they would assist in campaigning for the UDA nominee.

Borana Council of Elders chairman Mohammed Konso Hallo was leading a delegation from his side to the UDA national secretariat in Nairobi to present their agenda for Isiolo county, which was represented by his deputies from all sub-counties in Isiolo.

Former Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) CEO Halakhe Dida, who was also in the BCE delegation in Nairobi, sent his apologies.

They all relayed their support for Tubi Jnr.

Present at the Kinna meeting were also two-term Isiolo South MP Abdul Bahari, and Isack Kara from the Sakuye clan and head of the delegation representing Governor Abdi Guyo.

Mokku said Tubi Jnr was the person the family of the late MP presented to the elders drawn from the Representatives of communities living in the County during a meeting held in Isiolo town after the end of the four-day mourning period last November.

"The family of our late brother (MP Mohamed Tubi Bidu) presented to us Tubi Jnr from a list of nine siblings when they were allowed to pick one of their own. You (the Representatives from Kinna) were part of that declaration, and he is here before you," Mokku told a gathering of the residents at the homestead of Halkano Huka, an elder from Kinna.

Huka, who led the residents, said they would offer their full support to the choice of the family, saying that it would be one of the best ways to appreciate the good work that was done for them by the late MP.

"Isiolo South was in one way comparable to Kiharu Constituency in terms of education, where parents did not worry about school fees. Students in day secondary schools actually did not pay a penny," said the elder.

Elders from other Borana clans from the Constituency also pledged to drum up support for the young man.

Bahari cautioned the residents against being misled by a group of people claiming to support the UDA nominee ' during the day' and at the same time spread propaganda through social media in dividing the community in Isiolo county.

Bahari, who is among other hopefuls from the Borana community eyeing the seat of Governor in the 2027 general elections, dismissed the social media post as ' offensive and a propaganda to divide us'. The post, from a hitherto unknown outlet, claimed he was the person who assisted Bila, an elder sister of Tubi Jnr, to get a Jubilee party nomination certificate to vie for the Isiolo South seat.

Tubi Jnr thanked the residents for the support they gave the family during their tribulation from the time their father was in hospital, during the burial, and the mourning period.

Tubi, 36, a holder of a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Zetech University, said he will continue with the development work initiated by his late father.

" Insha Allah (God willing), if I win this seat, I will ensure that all the needy students from secondary to university from the Constituency get the bursary as they used to. Those from day secondary schools will all be fully supported through the NG-CDF," he pledged.

"Apart from the bursary, there is also a need to improve the infrastructure of our schools from the lowest level to junior and senior secondary schools. I want all stakeholders from the national to county level to work together and pull resources to add and improve the infrastructure of our schools," said the UDA flag-bearer.

Tubi said he will work closely with the county security committee to address rising cases of insecurity in parts of the Constituency adding that the prevailing drought in parts of northern Kenya had led to an influx of herdsmen from neighbouring Counties.

Registration of community land, he said, would also be prioritized under his leadership if he wins the February 26 by-election.

The issue of his elder sister, Bina, who was nominated by the Jubilee party to contest the seat, was also discussed at the forum, where it was resolved that a group of elders would persuade her to drop her bid.

" The lady belongs to us, and we know it's her Constitutional right to go for the seat. However, we will call her and resolve this issue," said Gonjobe.

The elders concurred that grievances, if any, by Bila would be addressed,d adding that ' while all other clans supported her brother, it would not be good for an opposition to come from within the family.

Bina is second born daughter of Suka, who was the deceased's first wife, and she comes from Kinna. The couple had divorced and were blessed with two children.