WardheerNews (WDN): Welcome to WardheerNews Mr. AhmedNadhir and could you tell us briefly about your background?
AhmedNadhir Omar:I was born and raised in Garissa. I did my elementary and high school in Garissa, having attended Jaribu Primary School and Garissa High School which I completed in 1998. Afterwards, I joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, where I did my Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. I also did a number of professional courses related to management, administration and governance. Since then, I tried my hand on a number of business ventures, most importantly in the petroleum sector, and that is what I am doing to date.
WDN: Could you please give us specific information on the circumstances that led you to run for the position of governor for Garissa County?
AhmedNadhir: It’s impossible to give an isolated set of circumstances that prodded me to vie. The decision was the culmination of inter-related realities; the need for a generational shift in leadership in the region, especially in this vital transitional period in the history of this nation; the effective strangulation of our youth and their total alienation in resource allocation and governance; and the need to shed the kind of reactionary leadership that failed us for so long.
I have always been perceived as the ‘political type’, even during my school days. At an early age, and particularly during the high school days, I developed an impassioned interest in the political discourse at both the regional and national levels, but it was not the politics per se that captivated me. What really sustained my passion was the governance and administrative aspects of politics.
I have always had that sense of duty to take the initiative; to help improve any given situation – be it the class or school setting, or the family and social setting or in any of the other entrepreneurial and professional challenges I found myself and others confronted with. I always had this penchant for not shying away from the call of leadership when I felt my contribution would be needed.
WDN: In the past district leadership was based on nomination by a decree of the president. Recently that system has changed. What can you tell us about the current system of electing the governors?
AhmedNadhir: Since the early 1990s, the country has been on a democratization trajectory, even though the ride felt – and continues to feel – rather rugged and sloppy at many points. But the key is Kenya has been making some commendable progress since this labored process started. We in North Eastern Province seem to have missed that train. Our political leaders still seem to be stuck in the old sycophancy syndrome, where they feel obligated to please some ‘big man’, imaginary or otherwise, to derive sustenance and legitimacy. We are still stuck with leaders whose discourse has only one rather monotonous theme: who competes with who for the favors of big man A or B. And sadly, this democratization train is not the first we missed. 1963 was a lamentable precedent, and we had all those decades wasted.
Our people have now learnt that they can easily dislodge establishment projects, and I feel they now fully understand no godfather can anoint leaders on their behalf. After decades of tyrannical Provincial Commissioners posted at the whims of State House, we will directly elect the Governors who will administer the regions, and they will be answerable to us, the people. It is an opportunity we dare not miss.
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WardheerNews (WDN): Welcome to WardheerNews Mr. AhmedNadhir and could you tell us briefly about your background? AhmedNadhir Omar:I was born and raised in Garissa. I did my elementary and high school in Garissa, having attended Jaribu Primary School and Garissa High School which I completed in 1998. Afterwards, I joined Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, where I did my Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology. I also did a number of professional courses related to management, administration and governance. Since then, I tried my hand on a number of business ventures, most importantly in the petroleum sector, and that is what I am doing to date. WDN: Could you please give us specific information on the circumstances that led you to run for the position of governor for Garissa County? AhmedNadhir: It’s impossible to give an isolated set of circumstances that prodded me to vie. The decision was the culmination of inter-related realities; the need for a generational shift in leadership in the region, especially in this vital transitional period in the history of this nation; the effective strangulation of our youth and their total alienation in resource allocation and governance; and the need to shed the kind of reactionary leadership that failed us for so long. I have always been perceived as the ‘political type’, even during my school days. At an early age, and particularly during the high school days, I developed an impassioned interest in the political discourse at both the regional and national levels, but it was not the politics per se that captivated me. What really sustained my passion was the governance and administrative aspects of politics. I have always had that sense of duty to take the initiative; to help improve any given situation – be it the class or school setting, or the family and social setting or in any of the other entrepreneurial and professional challenges I found myself and others confronted with. I always had this penchant for not shying away from the call of leadership when I felt my contribution would be needed. WDN: In the past district leadership was based on nomination by a decree of the president. Recently that system has changed. What can you tell us about the current system of electing the governors? AhmedNadhir: Since the early 1990s, the country has been on a democratization trajectory, even though the ride felt – and continues to feel – rather rugged and sloppy at many points. But the key is Kenya has been making some commendable progress since this labored process started. We in North Eastern Province seem to have missed that train. Our political leaders still seem to be stuck in the old sycophancy syndrome, where they feel obligated to please some ‘big man’, imaginary or otherwise, to derive sustenance and legitimacy. We are still stuck with leaders whose discourse has only one rather monotonous theme: who competes with who for the favors of big man A or B. And sadly, this democratization train is not the first we missed. 1963 was a lamentable precedent, and we had all those decades wasted. Our people have now learnt that they can easily dislodge establishment projects, and I feel they now fully understand no godfather can anoint leaders on their behalf. After decades of tyrannical Provincial Commissioners posted at the whims of State House, we will directly elect the Governors who will administer the regions, and they will be answerable to us, the people. It is an opportunity we dare not miss. Click