Abdul Haji sworn in as Garissa Senator

Abdikadir Haji, popularly known as Abdul Haji was on Tuesday April 13, sworn in as Garissa County Senator to succeed his late father Yusuf Haji.

Haji was escorted to the Senate chambers by Deputy Majority Leader Senator Fatuma Dullo (Isiolo) and Minority Leader Senator James Orengo.

Last week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared a no contest as no one else had submitted nomination papers by Wednesday’s deadline (March 30, 2021) for those intending to participate in the senatorial by-election scheduled for Tuesday, May 18th .

“The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) makes a declaration of no contest and declares the person listed in the 1st and 2nd column to the schedule duly elected as Senator, Garissa County,” IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said in a notice dated April 6, 2021.

Haji takes the seat left vacant following the death of his father Yusuf Haji at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Nairobi, on February 15.

The senator becomes the third politician to be elected unopposed in a by-election after Gatundu South Member of Parliament Moses Kuria and Amani National Congress (ANC) leader Musalia Mudavadi.

Following the death of his father Moses Mudavadi – a former powerful Cabinet Minister in the late President Daniel Moi’s government – in 1989, Musalia was elected unopposed for the Sabatia parliamentary seat to succeed his father.

In 2014, Moses Kuria also went to parliament unopposed when his main challenger, Kiarie Kamere of the New Democrats Party, quit the race for the Gatundu South parliamentary by-election. The by-election was occasioned by the death of former MP Joseph Ngugi Nyumu.