THE NORTHERN FRONTIER DISTRICT: The Struggles of Deghow Maalim Sambul

Authored By Adan Makina

Published By: Audi Publishers, Nairobi, Kenya

August 5, 2022.

A Book Review

The book, “The Northern Frontier District: The Struggles of Deghow Maalim Sambul” by author Adan Makina and published by Dr. Audi Publishing based in Nairobi, Kenya is an intermixture of descriptive, narrative and expository composition of recollections of tales of Somalis, even though it mainly focuses on the major events that occurred during Somalia’s claim to the Northern Frontier District (NFD) that was handed over to Kenya by the British colonial administration before its final departure in the early sixties. Among the legendary figures who took part in the struggle for NFD were a group of men hailing from different Somali clans together with the Boran–the first born of the nine sons of the Oromo plus the Rendille. While the main biographical character is the living octogenarian Sultan Deghow Maalim Sambul, the book carries captivating historical events that will hopefully give the reader the urge to keep on reading it to the end. With over 500 pages, the book brings together different topics such as anthropology, paleontology, ornithology, toponymy and etymology, history and historiography, theology, comprehensive pronunciamentos, botany and ethnography and other defining factors that are unique to Somalis only.

 

A hardcover book with colored picturesque, it took the author over five years to bring it to its current feature. From ancient times when Abyssinia and Somalia were both ruled by the Egyptians of aforetime, the book traces the history of Somalis in order to evade the fictional research penumbration (from penumbra) of foreign contemporary writers whose penmanship remain engrossed in suspicion to this day. According to Sultan Deghow Maalim sambul–an octogenarian who is loaded with tons of previously unrevealed hair-raising narrations, “Somali history is either in par with ancient Egyptian history if not older.”

 

Jailed by the British colonial administration in Kenya at the infamous Manyani (baboon) Prison that is surrounded by wild baboons like the Papio hamadryas–the baboon that inspired Queen Hatshepsut during her voyage to the “Land of Gods” or the “Land of Punt” and currently known as Manyani Maximum Prison, he was also placed behind bars by the new Republic of Kenya in Kajiado Prison after the British departure and likewise incarcerated in complete isolation by the military regime of Somalia. The prison that resembles the infamous Devil’s Island in French Guiana that held famous men like the innocent French artillery officer Alfred Dreyfus in 1894 on trumped up charges of spying for Germany even though he was later exonerated, the surroundings of Manyani Prison is also home to the African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis). While in incarceration at Kajiado Prison in 1966, one night, the Kenya government hatched a plot to execute Sultan Deghow and his Deputy Wako Hapi Taro of the Boran/Oromo.

However, since there were dedicated Somalis who worked with the British administration, a young Somali man who hailed from the Sheikh Isxaaq clan of the Habr Yunis sub-clan, upon getting the security details, immediately took action to save them from the intended murderous acts. Sofe rescued them from the hands of Geel Qaad (camel rustler)–a Somali and cousin of Deghow and a Kikuyu by the name Kigandi. Both men were responsible for extra-judicial killings since they were from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The young man’s father worked for Karen Blixen, meaning Sofe was just like Karen’s child. Karen was a Danish lady from Copenhagen and it was Farah Aden, Sofe’s father, under instructions from his White male employer and coffee farmer who instructed him to travel to Kilindini Harbor in Mombasa and bring her to his farm in the White Highlands. On seeing him, Karen was overtaken by admiration for Farah because she mistook him for an Indian since he was handsome, tall and wore a turban on his head. Currently in Nairobi, there is a suburb named after her.

The reason behind constructing impenetrable maximum prisons like that of Devil’s Island by the French and Robben Island of South Africa by the Dutch that housed men like Imam Abdallah ibn Qadi Abdus Salaam (1780-1793) for his anti-colonial activities and Sayed Abdurahman Moturu– a former Prince of the Madura and one of Cape Town's first imams who was imprisoned in 1740 until his death in 1754, was to dissuade the prisoners from escaping and if it so happened, they would have been devoured by sea carnivores like the Killer Whales, Great White Sharks, and Barracudas and on land, Polar Bears would be in waiting. Others who were kept in solitude included Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Jacob Zuma, and Ahmed Kathrada etc. As for Manyani Maximum Prison, it was within the Tsavo National Park that was known for Man-Eaters like lions, leopards, cheetahs and other carnivores. Jailed with Deghow and Wako Hapi was Alex Kolkolle from the Rendille–an ethnic group known to Somalis as RerDiid, meaning those who abandoned their relatives but are currently RerDoon, denoting seekers of those they abandoned in the past.

 

The biographee, a man who has a degree in political science is also a military strategist trained abroad. Prior to the outbreak of the 1977-78 War between Somalia and Ethiopia over the Somali-occupied region in Ethiopia that was handed over to Ethiopia in 1957 by Britain, France and Italy who were referred to as Allied Powers after the Ethiopian Emperor complained that he was “surrounded by an ocean of Pagans”–a term implying Muslims from different ethnic groups, the first batch of fighters sent by Somalia’s military were primarily taken forcefully from Qoryooley Refugee Camp that was home to the former Northern Frontier District Liberation Front (NFDLF), the Somali Abbo or the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) and the Western Somali Liberation Front (WSLF), formerly the Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF). Since the biographee was against the misuse of his guerilla fighters in the run up to the Somalia-Ethiopia, Major General Mohamed Siyad Barre, seeing the sultan as an opposition to his militaristic ideals, indefinitely placed him in total incarceration for a complete year.

 

Regardless of the torturous detention by President Barre, Sultan Deghow narrates that in later years, the president transformed in to a Fidus Achates. In one encounter between the two men after the president tendered him an invitation, to avoid dying intestate, the leader of the military regime revealed to Deghow information that required dissemination to the Somali people in case he died before him. It was information related to the bloodless coup d’état of 1969 and how he mischievously took over power from the inheritor to-be. However, it was when SNM captured Hargeisa in 1991, that Barre sought the help of Sultan Deghow.

 

“In a face-to-face conversation between Barre and Deghow, the main agenda of the meeting centered on getting military help from Deghow since he had a strong guerrilla force inside Somalia who, had he accepted, would have energized the ailing Somali Army and denervated the forces that had complete control over the northern territories. By then the Somali army had fragmented tremendously with military desertions, indiscipline and disloyalty becoming the norm. Feeling defeated and on the verge of collapse, Barre did everything he could do to convince Deghow to provide him the necessary assistance to subdue the SNM that transformed into a force to reckon with. However, Deghow who was a man who believed in Somalinness without regard to clan moiety, totally opposed Barre’s militaristic obsessions.

In response to Barre’s request, Deghow reminded him that his forces were guests of Somalia and that their presence in Somalia had nothing to do with Somali internal affairs. Tempers cooled down after Barre’s son, General Maslax intervened by siding with Deghow on the issue of military assistance. By then, Deghow, who was a military strategist and also trained in political science had already made up his mind not to support Barre because he was well aware of the general injustices and the hardships, he imposed on the people of Somaliland who, voluntarily for the love of Somalinness, accepted the July 1, 1960 unification with southern Italian Somaliland to form what became known as the Somali Democratic Republic.

Furthermore, Deghow felt perturbed and flabbergasted every time he recalled how Barre placed his own Somali loving fighters from the NFDLF in the frontline during the Ogaden War of 1977-78 that exacerbated Somalia’s approaching collapse.”[1] It was the Ogaden War that set the stage for Jimmy Carter’s first foreign policy assignment and the demise of détente.[2]

On the other hand, Deghow met Muamar Qaddafi of Libya after a delegation from South Africa that was headed by Nelson Mandela left earlier even though he met delegates from Gibraltar and Liberia with Charles Taylor as the head of the delegation. After leaving Sirta in Libya, Deghow flew to London to meet with a half-dozen men from Mwakenya–an opposition movement from Kenya that wanted to have unity with NFDLF so they could topple the twenty-four years reigning President Daniel Toroitich Arap Moi (deceased). Deghow bluntly told them that he could not reach a decision alone without the presence or knowledge of his companions. The Mwakenya delegation was led by a famous professor from the Kikuyu ethnic group of Kenya–the same professor who described in one of his books the sultan’s cousin millionaire Mahat Kuno Roble “intelligent illiterate millionaire.”

With Somalis being the toughest in Africa in terms of business entrepreneurship and political participations especially by the Somali diaspora in foreign lands, and other sectors such as education and even sports, you may be surprised to learn that even among Somali mothers, historian and Canadian Professor Ray Beachey (deceased 2010)–a man who taught prominent leaders like Benedicto Kiwanuka, Uganda's first prime minister; Yusuf Lule, the country's provisional president in 1979 and Kenya’s former President Mwai Kibaki (deceased), at the former Makerere University of Uganda–later Makerere University–in his book The Warrior Mullah, 1990, recorded that, one of the three wives of Seyid Muhammad Abdullah Hassan, Xasna Dhoorre, commanded one of his nine well-armed divisions. Though we do not have her photo, the book contains the photo of her brother Commander Abshir Dhoorre and credit goes to Mohamed Nuh who provided the author of the book the photo of the male dervishes’ commander. Usually, a military division ranges from 10,000 to 25,000 well-armed soldiers and commanded by a Major General while assisted by two Brigadiers. For Xasna Dhorreh, she was short of attaining only three ranks to head a nation’s army: Lieutenant General, General and Field Marshall respectively.

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[1] Makina, A. (2022). The Northern Frontier District: The Struggles of Sultan Deghow Maalim Sambul (5^th edition). Dr. Audi Publishing. ISBN 978-9914-40-480-7.

[2] Jackson, D. R. (2010). The Ogaden war and the demise of detente. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 632(1), 26-40.

 

RESEARCH PAPER ON HINDUISM

 

Hinduism

Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent and is often referred

to as Sanātana Dharma (सनातन धर्म) by its followers, a phrase from Sanskrit meaning ‘eternal law’. Having no single founder, “Hinduism is the world’s third largest religion after Christianity and Islam, with approximately a billion adherents, of whom 905,000 live in India. Other countries with large Hindu populations include Nepal, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Canada, and the United States.” i The name Hindu has its origin in Old Persian word ‘Hindu’–a reference to the Indus River. Muslim writers of Arab origin referred Hindu to include “the land of the people of modern day India.”ii

Hindu reform movements and revivalists started using the term Hinduism in the 19^th century. Its widespread forbearance to differences and inflexible ingenuousness make it complicated to be classified as a religion according to conventional Western ideas. Hinduism is an Eastern religion, is non-missionary, belief in life is cyclical, and that god is ultimate reality and “immanent.” iii

In Hinduism, “God so conceived is called Saguna Brahman, or God-with-attributes as distinct from the philosophers’ more abstract Nirguna Brahman, or God-without-attributes. Nirguna Brahman is the ocean without a ripple; Saguna Brahman the same ocean alive with swells and waves.” iv

With Brahman being the absolute, this religion of 33 million gods, has its scriptural knowledge preserved in the Vedas written in Sanskrit-the language of the Hindu scriptures. The gods of Hinduism include Brahman who is the creator god, Vishnu the preserver god with 10 avatars, and Siva or Shiva who is the god of destruction. The Hindu path of knowledge is identified as Jnana Yoga with yoga being discipline or yoke. Hindus believe in Karma which entails cause/effect actions while Dharma implies law, duty, or correct behavior.

Denominations of Hinduism

Hinduism may be categorized into four denominations: Saivism, Shaktism, Smartism, and Vaishnavism.

• Saivism. The followers of this denomination who believe in Shiva as ‘All and in all’ is the oldest of all the sects of Hinduism. They believe that Shiva is the creator, preserver, destroyer, revealer, and concealer of all that is.  Adherents can be found throughout India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka and most notably in Southeast Asia especially in Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia.
• Shaktism. This sect focuses on the worship of the Hindu divine mother Shakti or Devi as the absolute, ultimate godhead. They regard Shakti as the supreme Brahman and the “one without a second”, having all forms of divinity, female or male, as divine expression. The most fundamental and crucial text of Shaktism is the Devi Mahatmya, compiled almost 1,600 years ago. Other important canonical texts include the Puranic literature and Devi Gita. Shaktism has transcended borders and is no longer restricted to India alone. Shakta temples can be found in Southeast Asia, the United States of America, Europe, and Australia where Indian Diaspora Hindus have become deeply rooted. Despite Hinduism being regarded a non-missionary religion; two major temples in the confines of major U.S. cities include the Kali Mandir in Laguna Beach, California, and the Sri Rajarajeshwari Peetam, a Srividya Shakta temple in rural Rush, New York. The proliferation of Shaktism in the U.S. and the East-West synthesis of ideological interchange have endeared many doubting agnostics to embrace it causing troubling and intricate enlightening appropriation.
• Smartism. Worshippers of the six signs (Ganesha, Shiva, Shakti, Vishnu, Surya, and Skanda) or the resemblance of all the deities as the unanimity of godhead and the conceptualization of the myriad deities of India, Smartans believe Brahman is essentially without attribute or is attribute-less. Described as liberal or non-sectarian, Smartans “…follow a philosophical, meditative path, emphasizing man’s oneness with god through understanding.” v
• Vaishnavism. This is the fourth branch of Hinduism. Adherents believe in reincarnation, samsara, karma, and various yoga practices with emphasis on bkati yoga (devotion) to Vishnu.

The Hindu Caste System

“The Hindu caste system is unique in the world, but resembles in some ways Plato’s ideal society of philosophers, warriors and commoners. A caste is a division of society based on occupation and family lineage. Hindu caste system recognized four distinct classes or divisions among people based on these criteria and enforced it through a rigid code of conduct that was specific to each class and rooted in the dharmashastras (law books) of the later Vedic period.” vi

From the cry of the author of above article, we learn that in Hinduism, caste is an important factor in determining where one belongs as categorized below:

• Brahmins. These are the priestly class or caste that enjoys the highest degree of honor. They dedicate their entire lives to learning and preserving the Vedas, perform rituals and procedures, and observe self-punishment. They show exemplary behavior and are the caretakers of knowledge and traditions. As recorded in the Dharma (sacred tradition), a Brahmin is raised to look after and serve the Dharma. The Brahmins are regarded as a noble class endowed with knowledge and intellect.
• Kshatriyas. They belonged to the warrior and landowner caste and were empowered to protect the people, shower the Brahmins with gifts, abstain from sensual cravings, present sacrifices to the gods and the ancestors, learn the holy texts, and bestow righteousness.
• Vaishyas. Though not allowed to marry women of higher castes, they enjoyed the advantage of merchants and peasants, they studied the Vedas, they were traders and money lenders, and were allowed to participate in certain rituals.
• Shudras. Their main duty was to serve the three higher castes. Traditionally, they were looked upon as laborers and were not duty bound to read or study the Vedas.
• Chandalas. The lowest of all castes, they were considered impure and unholy. Living on the fringes of society, they were regarded as untouchables because they practiced magic and had unclean habits, were considered loathsome and despicable by the upper castes. Perhaps, seeing the living disparities of the Indian people and the abject poverty this group lived in is what drove Mahatma Gandhi to classify them as “Harijans” or “god’s people.” 

Regardless of the existence of Bhakti (love/devotion) in the Vedas, and the prevalent categorization of society as a result of Karma, the visual focus known as Tantra, the daily reverent gesture of Namaste and the all-encompassing overall responsibility of Ahimsa (non-injury), if we are go by the admonitions of the Vedas, exclusively for the unconditional observance of the Mantra which is the sacred word or formula, we are led to the conclusion that Hinduism will undergo revivalism if equality and justice is to be attained before the revered Brahma regardless of equanimity of Samsara (cycle of birth). Many in India see their mode of governance as far from being a democracy but a ‘castocracy’-a system of administration where people vote for the leader in observance of the caste system that is so ingrained in the mental make-up of the general population.

Hinduism Goddesses

• Ganesha. “All Tantric and spiritual worship in the Hindu tradition begins with the invocation of Ganesha (Ganesh), the elephant-headed god.” vii There are many historical versions regarding how Ganesha got her elephant head. One version relates how Parvati (Shiva’s wife) created Ganesha in the absence of Siva (Shiva) to watch over her quarters. When Shiva wanted to see Parvati, Ganesha objected to which Shiva cut off her head. Later on, Shiva gave Ganesha the head of an elephant because there was no replacement.
• Annapurna. She is the Hindu goddess of food and cooking. An incarnation of the Hindu goddess Parvati, wife of Shiva, Annapurna is said to have the power to nourish indefinite number of people.
• Saraswati. She is described as the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, and the creative arts. Also called the goddess of speech, Saraswati is often seen dressed in white, riding on a swan and sometimes on a peacock, and is depicted holding a palm leaf-an indication of knowledge.

 NB: This paper was first written on October 11, 2008

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i http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduism

ii Thapar, R.1993. Interpreting Early India. Delhi: Oxford University Press. P. 77

iii Encarta Dictionary: English (North America). Existing in all parts of the universe. Describes God as existing in and extending into all parts of the created universe.

iv Huston Smith: The World Religions. Harper Collins Publishers Inc. 10 East 53^rd Street, New York, NY 10022

v http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/2003/10-12/44-49_four_sects.shtml

vi http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_caste.asp

vii http://www.santanasociety.org/hindu_gods_and_goddesses/ganesha.htm

Newly-published Book by Blogger

 

An Interview with Ahmed Issack: Chairperson of the Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya

By Adan Makina

July 27, 2012

WardheerNews

WardheerNews (WDN): welcome to WardheerNews Mr. Ahmed Issack. Could you please share with our esteemed readers the importance of the Independent Electoral Commission of Kenya?

Ahmed Issack: The IEBC is an independent body established by the Constitution with the mandate to manage and conduct elections and referenda in the country. It also has the mandate to undertake review of constituency and county assembly ward boundaries, every 8 to 12 years, or periodically for the case of county assembly ward boundaries. The Constitution emphasizes that the sovereign authority of the people of Kenya is exercisable directly or through their elected representatives. The same Constitution provides a devolved system of Government, a two-tier legislature, and an electoral system with a semblance of a mixed member proportional representation providing for categories of special seats. This has translated to a system where Kenyans would vote for six (6) elective positions, all in one day. The specific role of the Commission therefore is to get Kenyans registered for the elections, regulate nomination process of candidates and the campaign period and finally, conduct their elections into office. While doing all this, the Commission is also required to create public awareness on the elections and the manner of voting.

WDN: How did the members of the Electoral Commission come about? Could you give us a brief background of members of the commission, what parties they represent and if there are any members who don’t belong to any party?

Ahmed Issack: Unlike in the past where membership represented interests of different political parties, members of IEBC are appointed through a competitive process through a Selection Panel. The Selection Panel is appointed by the President in consultation with the Prime Minister (this applies until after the first elections) and with the approval of the National Assembly. The Panel is facilitated by the Public Service Commission. The Panel is required to advertise for the positions of the Chairperson and

members of the Commission in newspapers of national circulation within seven days of their appointment. The Panel shortlists candidates and submits to the President 3 names for Chairperson and 13 names for members of the Commission. The President nominates the Chairperson and 8 members and tables the names before the National Assembly for vetting and approval. The National Assembly then vets and approves/rejects name(s). In case of rejection, the President can draw other names from the remaining list forwarded by the Selection 2 Panel. If all the names forwarded to the President by the Panel are rejected, the Selection Panel is required to send fresh names to the President from those shortlisted. The list of nominees is required to observer regional and ethnic diversity, and gender balance (at least one-third to be of opposite gender).

WDN: The commission you head is independent-meaning it is free, autonomous or self-regulating. Since Kenya is a land that is known for corruption, exploitation, and malfeasance, do you think the Electoral Commission will carry out its activities without government involvement?

Ahmed Issack: The Commission has institutional and functional independence but not yet financial independence. The budget is a subject of negotiation with the relevant agencies. The Elections Act however has established a Fund of the Commission, which is a charge on the Consolidated Fund. In this regard, the Commission is looking forward to financial independence.

WDN: How prepared is the Electoral Commission for the upcoming elections?

Ahmed Issack: Despite the budgetary constraints, the Commission is prepared and committed to deliver a credible election. The legal framework is in place and the attendant Regulations will be approved by the National Assembly by September. Procurement of election materials and personnel is ongoing, voter education materials and operational manuals are in place, capacity building and training of staff has commenced, and accreditation of observer groups is ongoing. The boundaries cases have now been concluded save for a few appeals filed. The Commission is about to roll out voter education on the elections and sensitization on voter registration and on the manner of voting. The Commission is in the process of mapping polling stations in preparation for the registration exercise in 40,000 polling stations. The Commission is also preparing a vote tabulation system that would allow transmission of results of all the six (6) elective positions in over 300 tallying centers countrywide. The Commission has put in place dispute resolution mechanisms including setting up an Electoral Code of Conduct Compliance and Enforcement Committee, Dispute Resolution Committee, Peace Committees, Conflict Management Panels, etc. Some of these are cascaded to the County and/or Constituencies for effective management of electoral disputes as and when they arise. The Commission works closely with strategic partners in election, including relevant Government agencies with some role in electoral related matters such as in security, issuance of ID cards, schools (which are the primary premises for polling stations), transport and logistics, etc.

WDN: How many polling stations have been reserved for this mammoth exercise?

Ahmed Issack: The Commission will be increasing the number of polling stations from the current 23,000 to 40,000 polling stations. This will address issues of voters walking long distances to access registration centers/polling stations and to allow adequate time for them to cast their vote.

WDN: How is the anticipated democratic election that is to be held next year different from past high-handed elections of the Kenyatta and Moi years?

Ahmed Issack: The competitive nature of the appointment process will greatly enhance the independence of the Commission. The electoral reforms now in place will further ensure enhanced compliance with the rules and regulations on elections. The Commission has now employed Returning Officers on permanent and pensionable terms in order to make them more accountable for their actions. In addition, the law now imposes heavy sanctions for officers who subvert the process of free and fair elections or who knowingly obstruct the Commission in the discharge of its functions or otherwise interferes with the functions of the Commission; they would be liable to 3 years imprisonment or 1 million fine or to both.

WDN: What measures have you put in place to avoid a repeat of the election irregularities of 2008 where thousands of innocent civilians were either indiscriminately killed or evicted from their homes by marauding hooligans?

Ahmed Issack: The Commission has put in systems and processes in place that would ensure peaceful elections. In addition, judicial reforms have been undertaken, giving Kenyans a renewed hope in the judiciary as an avenue for seeking justice, rather than resorting to violence. The dispute resolution mechanisms outlined above have so far worked very well. The Commission is also working closely with the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to ensure peaceful campaigning and elections. Lastly, the sanctions put in place, including barring of candidates or parties from contesting in elections are likely to deter any attempt to go back to 2007/8. Furthermore, the law now grants the Commission the power to investigate and prosecute election offences. The Commission will have resident Investigators and Prosecutors, and will work closely with the Office of the Director of Prosecutions for additional support. Lastly, the ICC process is surely a live lesson for the country.

WDN: Do you think the Kenya police force will be capable of keeping the peace despite their tarnished image?

Ahmed Issack: Police reforms have been part of the agenda 4 reforms. Tremendous work has been undertaken to ensure that our security agencies are properly capacitated and exercise their duties within the confines of the law. The Commission engages security agencies when planning for elections for purposes of sharing intelligence and briefing them on the Electoral Code of Conduct and its implications. In return, the security agencies commit to providing the much-needed security for election staff, premises and materials and regular updates on the security situation.

WDN: Will international election observers be deployed to oversee and ensure the culmination of smooth and fair elections?

Ahmed Issack: Yes. The Commission has in the past accredited both domestic and international observers. During the constitutional referendum of 2010, the Commission accredited over 4,000 observers. We have now commenced on the accreditation process, particularly for the long-term observers, who observe the entire electoral cycle rather than the campaign and polling only. The Commission has also allowed Election Assessment Missions to assess the level of preparedness for the upcoming elections.

WDN: What punitive measures have been put in place by the election commission to fight mix-ups, misinformation, vote buying, ballot stuffing, mis-recording of votes, misleading or confusing ballot papers, electoral fraud, tampering with electronic voting machines, and destruction of ballot papers?

Ahmed Issack: Part VI of the Elections Act outlines an array of election offences, including fines, imprisonment and barring of candidates and political parties from contesting in elections. The Commission has the mandate to monitor the implementation of the Electoral Code of Conduct and any possible breaches thereof. The biggest challenge however is to get hold of admissible evidence for such alleged offences to allow for prosecution of the offenders. There has been in the best allegations on such offences, but no tangible evidence to support them. The Commission appeals to all Kenyans, political parties and aspirants to be vigilant and share evidence to support such allegations.

WDN: Who will be overseeing the safety of election boxes and election cases?

Ahmed Issack: The Commission has the mandate to oversee the election and the related processes. It works closely with security agencies to ensure safety of election materials, premises and materials of the Commission. During election times, the Commission gets security personnel from the Kenya Police, the Administration Police and other agencies, where necessary. This however calls for an additional cost, which competes against others within the budget constraints.

WDN: Electorate manipulation usually happens during or immediately after election campaigns. Manipulation of democracy is the illegal act of authorities artificially controlling electorate composition for the sake of producing foregone result. How are you going to handle such cases in a country that is entirely responsive to vice?

Ahmed Issack: The Constitution and the law guide the Commission and all players in elections. Therefore, as long as each of the players act within the law, be it the Commission, the candidates or political parties, the Police or the Courts, the hand of the law would be applied indiscriminately.

WDN: How long will it take to resolve a disputed election?

Ahmed Issack: The Constitution provides that a dispute on the presidential election should be filed with the Supreme Court within 7 days; it should be heard and determined within 14 days. On the other hand, any dispute arising out of the other elections is to be filed at the High Court and to be heard and determined within 6 months. This is a big step forward, considering that in the past there was no time within which the court could hear and determine an election petition.

WDN: Are the Kenyan Diaspora allowed to vote in the coming elections and how will their voting be regulated?

Ahmed Issack: The Constitution provides that citizens residing outside Kenya will have a progressive right to be registered and to vote. The progressive nature of this right takes into account many factors, including the review of the legislative framework, the planning and logistics concerned and of course, the cost component related to this right. As a start, the Commission will register citizens residing outside Kenya at the designated Kenyan Missions abroad. This will take into account the cost and logistics of the particular Mission. The Commission will designate the staff of such Missions, other than the High Commissioners and their Deputies, to be registration and eventually polling officials. For purposes of the forthcoming elections, the Commission will register citizens residing outside Kenya to vote for presidential elections and national referenda. Best practices of other jurisdictions and domestic constraints will inform future how citizens residing outside Kenya will vote in future.

WDN: Do prison inmates have the legal right to partake in the coming elections?

Ahmed Issack: In the past, prison inmates were not eligible to vote. Prior to the 2010 national constitutional referendum, the former Commission (IIEC) was ordered by the Court to register prisoners for the referendum. The Commission complied with the Court Order and registered prisoners and facilitated their voting during the referendum. This however had its challenges, out of the 30,000 estimated prisoners, only 5,000 registered to vote. Less than 50,000 of these eventually voted for one reason or another. Based on the lessons learnt from this exercise, the Commission has put in mechanisms to provide for the registration of prisoners.

WDN: Kenya-Somalis in North eastern Kenya are mostly Nomads, concentrated in rural areas. How will you facilitate for those Kenyans to participate to exercise their voting rights?

Ahmed Issack The law requires the Commission to put in mechanisms to facilitate registration of eligible voters and to ensure that they exercise their constitutional right to vote. One such mechanism is mobile registration centres for pastoralist areas or areas with mobile communities. The Commission gazettes such polling stations are “mobile” to allow the registration staff to follow the communities to the grazing areas or watering holes. This strategy has greatly enhanced participation of such communities in the electoral process.

WDN: There were some irregularities and rigging election that took place in last election in some parts of North eastern Kenya. What would you tell Kenya- Somalis to entrust and lend full confidence in the election process so that their votes will be counted without any fixation this time?

Ahmed Issack: The systems and processes that the Commission has put in place have taken into account the recommendations of the “Kriegler” Report and have addressed the shortcomings identified in the Report that led to the 2007/8 post-election violence. The strategies adopted by the Commission have been arrived at through intensive consultations with various stakeholders in the electoral processes, including representatives of the target groups. This has enhanced public confidence in the Commission in particular and in the electoral process in general.

WDN: Will this be the end of the era for nominated or appointed governors or officials to head a region they do not belong?

Ahmed Issack: The nomination of candidates envisaged by the law is for purposes of proportional representation of special categories of sections of the communities, including youth, persons with disabilities, women, workers, marginalized and minority groups. The law does not restrict their appointment to a particular region, but it does provide that the list should have regional and ethnic diversity.

WDN: Thanks for sharing your views with WardheerNews

Ahmed Issack: I appreciate your time and efforts.

 

An Eye on Somali Philosopher and Poet “Idaajaa”

                                                                       By Adan Makina

April 11, 2022

 

Praise Be To Allah who has given me the ability and time to write on a very special person in this blessed month of Ramadan. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Hijri calendar and it is also the month when the first revelation of the Qur’an occurred. Part of the five pillars of Islam, Muslims spend their time in prayers, reading the Qur’an and serving their communities who are in need.

Despite having conversations with him over the phone a few times, honestly speaking, we have never met face-to-face before. However, I’ve known him for decades because I was a great reader of newspapers like Xiddigta Oktoobar and Halgan and international magazines such as Newsweek, Time and the National Geographic that I was a subscriber for over a decade or so. Likewise, I was also a great listener to Radio Mogadishu and Radio Moscow and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) before the collapse of Somalia.

While his real name is Ahmed Farah Ali and since almost all Somalis have nicknames according to a foreign correspondent, he is also known as “Idaajaa.” No wonder the name Idaajaa is from a surah or verse in the Qur’an. To this day, I have a friend whose nickname is “Aladii”–also a surah from the Qur’an, which, I think was one of the hardest to memorize for local dugsi (Qur’an school) students of yore.[i] For “Aladii”, Qur’an students were known to sing “Aladii i gubtooy i guduudisoy”, which translates to ‘Aladii that burns me and leaves reddish color on my epidermis’ which is the outer layer of the skin. The burning is the pain from the whipping of the Qur’an teacher when a student misses an ayah or verse while the reddish color connotes the traces left after the inflictions are done. After thorough search on “Aladii”, the final meaning derived from Surah Muhammad which is the 47^th surah with 30 ayahs. As for “Idaajaa” that is Arabic, regardless of being his nickname, it means “when comes…” For example, some surahs begin with Idaa jaa like Surah Al-Nasr (110: 1) that starts with the verse “When Allah’s ultimate help comes and the victory ˹over Mecca is achieved’.”

Somalia’s Idaajaa is the author of Dabkuu shiday darwiishkii (1974) with contributions from Cabdulqaadir Xirsi "Yamyam who is regarded among the top poets of Somalia. Idaajaa is an orator, a political analyst, a broadcaster, a poet, and a translator and as well, a mentor for millions of Somalis from the time he started his radio broadcasting in the early 70s until now. Calling Idaajaa names and complaining that his poetic narrations or broadcasting have been the cause of divisions since he is directed to only a few clan poets are outrightly meaningless for such exclamations have been conceived by people with negative tribal mindsets and obviously could be branded deceitfully invigorating miserable individuals because some brandish barren degrees that have not done anything meaningful to Somalis and humanity in general.

The above ethos reminds me of one my articles on Maxamed Saleebaan “Tubeec” that appeared on WardheerNews on February 9, 2012. Even though the first article on the vocalist had to undergo changes in the form of a eulogy on April 4, 2014 with the title In Memory of Tubeec: King of Somali Music after his departure from this world while in Germany, a comment from a famous and educated Somali man who is well known to many since he is a great writer in the Somali language left me in bewilderment. Rather than being thankful, he wrote in Somali “waxba noomaadan sheegin”, meaning you have narrated nothing to us. In response to his sarcastic and belittling language, I wrote back to him saying “isku gobol ayaad ka timaadeene, maxaad wax uga qori weyday”? I meant, since you hailed from the same region, what prevented you from writing an article about him? With that in mind, years later, I received an electronic message from a man who was from the same region as the previous recalcitrant responder. He wrote, “Makina, you really described Tubeec exactly the way he was known to us.” That shows how people have opposing personality traits resulting from negative and positive emotions.

According to a friend who is familiar with the historical past of Idaajaa, there was a time he landed in a big city in one of the states of Somalia. At the airport, he was confronted by a few men who wanted to know why he always spent most of his time on Seyid Muhammad Abdullah Hassan’s poems and why he gave little credence to their reputed poets. The Seyid was the man who fought imperialist powers for almost over twenty years. To call a spade a spade, he reminded them that the Seyid always recited his poems by mentioning the name of Allah while their poets were religiously deficient. Amazed and ashamed of their arrogance, they let him go free.[ii]

By Googling the name Idaajaa one’s reflection could end up boggled, because the name is so numerous in almost every social media and that could lead to confusion when it comes to picking up the right choice. Whether in audio or visual form, every search engine will give you pages loaded with his name. He has a captivating voice that is humorous, soulful, exhilarating and melodious and unique especially in his presentation styles.

The number of Somali poems, mythological stories, social, cultural and traditional commendations he has presented remain uncountable. How he narrates the historical poem known as “Silsiladdii Guba” that was started by Cali Dhuux Aadan that brought together a combination of 12 well-versed poets, has produced many eidetic modern young Somali men. An eidetic is someone with the ability to memorize a conversation, poem or stories no matter how long they could be. The most famous Somali eidetic who memorized almost 100 poems of the Seyid and who took over the leadership of the Dervishes was Hussein Dhiqle. He has been described as the best eidetic of his era.[iii]

Idaajaa is a political analyst for the Voice of America (VOA) Somali Service and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) on matters related to political and religious ideologies, social, cultural and traditional issues and other factors. Someone with such wide array of knowledge is regarded as a polymath and if writing and reading is included, he becomes a philomath. We could assume Idaajaa is a man of literary repute, a man who has surpassed the love for wisdom which is Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) because, in modern times, there are many Somalis having multiple degrees who have contributed nothing to the advancement of their society.

One day, while reading a research paper on the Somali language–a paper that was written by a foreigner, I got shocked to learn that the author or writer was out of context, because s/he claimed that words that end with ‘kayaga’ are exclusive to the Dhulbahante only. Dhulkayaga, waddankayaga, dhaqankayaga and others fall under that category. To avoid falling into a literary dragnet, out of curiosity, I picked up the phone and called Idaajaa who proved to me that the writer was out of topic and misplaced in his or her grammatical expounding. Likewise, Idaajaa told me that he doesn’t belong to the said tribe and that he commonly uses those end words.

Many doubting Toms who have been defective of the history of the humorous Garaad Wiil Waal now have the chance to narrate to their children in audiovisual series or receptions while Carraweelo aka Ceebla’–the most brutal woman in Somali history who castrated men and is characteristically defined as akin to Queen Hatshepsut of Egypt, is easily accessible on Youtube with the appealing voice of Idaajaa overtaking other presenters. Even though the exact period or era when recordkeeping started in the world is unknown and conjectural, for contemporary Somali history, enough has been recorded to entertain our current and future generations.

Full of creativity, Idaajaa, the Somali man of wisdom who served his nation with dignity and devotion to culture and literature, is also a poet. While mimicry elicits stereotypes, Idaajaa has been criticized by some who don’t have control of their mannerisms. Psychologically, it is common for people to have different behaviors that include being active, ambitious, cautious, curious, creative and finally being conscientious. Part of the positive task-oriented behavior, the rest are logical, organized, perfectionist and precise.[iv] Those displaying negative task-oriented behaviors are known to be scatterbrained, volatile, lazy, careless and anxious. There are also the extroverts and introverts. There is no human being who is perfect. We all have weaknesses and the best of all amongst us is the patient one.

Regarding the commitments of Idaajaa to Somali cause, there is enough evidence that reveals the role he played from the very first day he spoke on a radio microphone, the first day he jotted down an article either using the old type QWERTY typewriter or the day he scribbled a note using a Bic pen or a ballpoint pen that is manufactured by Société Bic of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France and an exercise book. On a final note, Idaajaa deserves a pat on the back for the hard work and determination spent spreading what benefits the people of Somalia for over half a century.

Nota Bene: This article will appear in the writer’s upcoming book to be released after Eid Mubarak, In Shaa Allaah.

Adan Makina

adan.makina@gmail.com

References

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[i] Telephonic conversation with Maalim Idris and Abubakar Mohamed. April 11, 2022, Kenya.

[ii] Telephonic Interview with Ibrahim Sambul. March 15, 2022, Dhagaxley Refugee Camp, Kenya.

[iii] An Anthology of Somali Poetry - 1993 – PAGE 48

[iv] List of Words that Describe Behavior. Retrieved from https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/word-lists/list-of-words-that-describe-behavior.html

A REBUTTAL TO A MISGUIDED COLONIAL ANTHROPOLOGIST

December 9, 2021

By Deeq Yusuf & Adan Makina

Recently, we came across a widely circulated YouTube video that was on the concept of federalism by the Laureate Professor Emeritus Prof. Cheryl Saunders of Melbourne University Law School on Federalism, wherein she objects that federalism will not work in Somalia while giving Ethiopia the upper hand. Why Federalism Failed in Somalia is a long video (Prof Saunders of Melb Uni Law school on Federalism) that is worth watching for students of political science, anthropology and sociology. Having watched the video again and again, we felt befuddled by the deceitful way she tried to convince her spectators or listeners.

Prof. Cheryl Saunders of Melbourne University Law School on Federalism. Photo credit / IDEA

We watched the video and there is no doubt in our minds that this Professor’s false assumptions are informed by ignorance and premised on shallow Eurocentric thought.  She is basically arguing that Somalis cannot build a Federal or modern state simply because they are a “tribal” society. She sounds more like those ignorant colonial anthropologists of the past than an informed contemporary legal scholar. However, Mr. Makina of WardheerNews,  who has been a keen follower of foreigners who have negative agendas about Somalis, instead, describes her as a Racialist Anthropologist.

She lays bare her ignorance right from the outset when she labels Somalis as “tribes.” Like foreign and Somali scholars who got stuck to the ideology of referring Somalis as “pastoral-nomadic” that was first sounded by the first President of Somalia Aden Adde (July 1, 1960 to July 6, 1967) at the 1963 Organization of African Union (OAU) in defense of Somali unity, the lady professor has strayed from academic and scholarly identification of groups that is social generalization which is unacceptable and nonacademic. Somalis are only one ethnic group comprised of clans, and so any Eurocentric scholar who refers to Somalis as a tribe is just an ignorant lot.

Anthropologically, the term “tribe” is no longer given preference or significance in contemporary research and that “clan” is preferred instead. The Professor Emeritus’ superfluous application of “Why Federalism Failed in Somalia” seems to be a plagiaristic medley of a book that was written by three distinguished professors having 135-years of experience in African governance. Thus, her video presentation is nothing but simply a chameleonic display of the academically scandalous book whose topic was “The Nation State: A Wrong Model for the Horn of Africa.” The aforementioned book was written by John, Schlee and Young (2021) and is one meant to instill social anxiety and social stratification among the people of the Horn of Africa.  

Secondly, she argues Somalis cannot build a federal state because they are loyal to their tribe, not their representatives. Where did she get this one?  Does she have empirical evidence to back this misplaced claim? Can she point to a study, or a report of some sort conducted by competent researchers attesting to this claim? How can a so-called scholar in law use unproven anecdotal evidence to make such a blatantly false claim? Also, in every Federal system identity and loyalty to a region or state are actually important and this does not in any way negate the foundation of Federalism.

In Germany, the Bavarians are known to be fiercely loyal to their regional identity and so are Canada’s Quebecois to whom French identity, culture and language are critically important to their survival in Canada, and yet no one has argued Canada or Germany can’t function as a Federation. In the case of Quebec, they even went into referendum twice to determine their future and in the second instance came within a whisker of breaking up Canada. In fact, the separatists in Quebec call themselves Sovereigntists, and yet with all this open Quebecois nationalism, no one has put into question the very nature of Canadian Federalism, which remains vibrant.

Further, Federalism cannot be measured on a misplaced analogy that emphasizes loyalty to a specific group vs allegiance to an elected representative. This is way too simplistic and ignorantly casual. Also, her claim that you must demonstrate unity or else you cannot build a Federal system is laughable. Many Federal countries, even in advanced democracies struggle with unity but work hard to make things function.

The US is a deeply divided, polarized society, but are we going to claim US Federalism has failed on account of its pervasive societal polarization? Absolutely not. What this lady doesn’t get is that the basis upon which a Federal system is built is “cooperation,” not perceived “unity.” Federal and state entities need not unite on everything, but they must fundamentally cooperate to make Federalism work.  In the lexicon of Federalism, the magic word is “cooperated” not “unite,” because essentially, Federalism, especially in the South, is meant to bring together “deeply divided” societies to “cooperate” and work together in a federated state. Even in the US, Federalism has evolved through the decades, from cooperative federalism, to dual federalism and finally new federalism.

It is totally absurd to claim that Federalism in Somalia has failed, given its nascent and evolving stage. It was only 2016, when Somalia transitioned to Federalism after going through a transitional period. You cannot pass judgement on an ongoing 5-year nascent experience, in a post-conflict environment where the country is still governed by a provisional constitution. Anyone who makes such a reckless statement needs a crash course in Politics 101, even if they hold some law degree from somewhere. She said it took Australia 10 good years to agree on a federal constitution before they could even settle for a federal system. I think she needs to appreciate Somalia’s maturity where from the outset, and in just few short years, they already have a provisional federal constitution with nascent federal structures in place, and all this built from the ashes of civil war.

Going back to the history of post-federalism in Europe, even Switzerland experienced the Sonderbund War for cessation in 1848. A nation that avoided federalism for fear of unintentional fall into the “slippery slope” of federalism is Sri Lanka that was involved in multicultural and multilingual war for 15 years.[i] Unlike Indonesia–a predominantly Muslim nation of 200 million that rejected federalism after the fall of Suharto, had the Professor Emeritus been given the chance and will to lay her hands on Somalia, she would have fragmented Somalia into a federacy that would have created the likes of Aceh and Irian Jaya. But such adventures would never happen in Somalia because, Somalis, when it comes to land or territorial issues, immediately mobilize and unite to safeguard their territorial rights.

The learned Professor Emeritus has failed to focus on what we refer to as post-federated states that have territorial based semasiological break-ups like the case of Ethiopia that has over 80 ethnic groups and almost 90 languages while Somalia is almost homogenous and monocultural unlike Ethiopia and Kenya that are heterogenous and multicultural. Even before the proclamation of independence, Somalis have been pastoral democrats. In terms of democratic governance, Somalia was the first in global Africa to produce the first democrats in Africa as noted by the two distinguished Somali professors and brothers Ahmed & Abdi Ismail Samatar.[ii] Since democracy and federalism are inseparable, unlike some countries that remain reluctant to grasp federalism, Somalia, regardless of having tribal divisions, has already abandoned the old method of centralization.

The political schisms in Somalia that the Professor Emeritus assumes will continue forever is nothing but exaggerated imaginations lacking political substances. She needs to re-study the host of negative linguistic proliferations written in the past by scholars of her caliber who wasted their time and energy maligning the good name and reputation of Somalis and Somalia and how at last they got misguided academically and scholarly after being set on the right track by people endowed with reasoning power. Lack of critical thinking is a recipe for disaster for researchers who fail to pick up the pieces after going astray. In modern times, the rise of literary braggadocios has become common and it is no wonder human pomposity has become the norm. The use of terminologies and phrases like “stateless”, “disassembled state”, “in search of a state” and “state and identity” etc. have become meaningless since Somalia has already recovered from the ashes of destruction.

Currently, every regional state in Somalia is experiencing formidable growth politically, socially and economically while her two neighbors, Kenya and Ethiopia are immersed in ethnic imbroglios. In the meantime, the major factor that is dragging Somalia backwards is foreign interference. Had Somalis been left to manage their affairs with the help of a non-partisan nation like Turkey, it would have prospered meritoriously in all aspects of federal governance. The Somali Federal Government (SFG) in collaboration with friendly military and economic powers, helped create a military force to reckon with, such that, the presence of African forces is totally unnecessary.

The city of Mogadishu is now the fastest growing in Africa while other states are experiencing tremendous overall growth. Somalia prides to have the fastest and cheapest mobile and internet connectivity, while, it still has the fastest money transfer remittance system in Africa, if not globally. Piracy and religious fundamentalism that have been foreign-funded inventions are now dwindling. Foreign aid meant for humanitarian purposes surreptitiously ended up in the accounts of foreigners and their Somali counterparts.

In a well-crafted video that we watched together where an Indian scholar is a guest, we were shocked to learn that between 1765 and 1938, the British Isles stole 23 trillion pounds from India. Likewise, they stole all the coal and other natural resources using Indian labor to help build their country. There is no doubt that colonial mentality among Western powers is still in progression. When 2.7 billion people have no food on the table, Western powers keep on lecturing developing countries to reduce consumption. In a nutshell, the lady Professor Emeritus has a hidden strategic agenda to demonize Somalis and Somalia and rest assured, regardless of her preparation for other denigrating speeches in the future, whatever she’ll come up with, will be discarded and regarded as inconsequential.

With regard to Ethiopia, it is also wrong to pass judgement on Ethnic–Federalism, because it only existed on paper as the Tigrayan elites of the day reigned over a highly centralized state that subjugated the rest of Ethiopians. So, you cannot reach a conclusion on a system that was illogical syllogism and imbecilic. It is the same Tigrayan predaceous centralized hooliganism that is the cause of the current political conflagration in Ethiopia. Despite all the challenges Somalia has been through, we think Somalis have done a great job in building a nascent Federal system that is worth celebrating.

The plethora of inconsistent resentment that have become common with foreign tergiversators should be discarded and thrown into the trash bags without any remorse. Somalia is for Somalis and they are the once deserving of choosing their political desiderata and as well, correcting what goes wrong within their historical peninsula. Finally, we have to defy all Eurocentric nullifidians and continue to deconstruct their negative narratives that are borne out of naked ignorance.

Deeq Yusuf
Email: Deeqsyusuf05@gmail.com
Adan Makina
Email: adan.makina@gmail.com

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[i] Stepan, A.C. (1999). Federalism and Democracy: Beyond the U.S Model. Journal of Democracy. John Hopkins University Press.

[ii]Samatar, A. I., & Samatar, A. I. (2002). Somalis as Africa’s First Democrats: Premier Abdirazak H. Hussein and President Aden A. Osman. Bildhaan: An International Journal of Somali Studies, 2(4), 1-64.