As the race for the Garissa governor gathers momentum, aspirants are increasingly looking beyond the county’s borders to the diaspora population.
Garissa, like many counties in northern Kenya, has a large population living and working abroad.
Many maintain homes, businesses and family connections in the county, while sending money home, investing in property and supporting education, healthcare and community development.
While the diaspora does not vote in Garissa, it wields considerable influence over the county’s political and economic affairs.
The growing number of trips by governor hopefuls to countries with sizeable Garissa and Somali communities points to an emerging recognition that the diaspora can no longer be treated as a peripheral constituency.
From the UK to the US, Garissa politicians are holding town hall meetings, community dinners and other engagements with Kenyans and Somalis living abroad, seeking not only their support but also ideas, networks and financial backing for political campaigns.
Among the leading aspirants taking their campaigns to the diaspora are former Garissa Governor Ali Korane and Garissa Senator Abdul Haji.
Korane has been in the UK since last week, where he has held engagements with members of the Garissa diaspora and the wider Somali community, including a meeting in Birmingham.
His engagements have offered him an opportunity to explain his political vision and listen to concerns from people who, despite living thousands of kilometres away, retain close economic, family and political ties with Garissa.
Describing his Birmingham engagement, Korane said discussions went beyond politics and focused on the future of the county, including development, investment, education, employment, governance and opportunities for young people.
“Living abroad gives our people a different vantage point. They see what works in other parts of the world, understand the value of efficient institutions and have acquired skills, experience and networks that can be invaluable to Garissa,” Korane wrote on his Facebook page.
His message captures the changing significance of the diaspora in county politics.
For years, political campaigns in Garissa have largely revolved around clan elders, local opinion leaders, professionals, religious leaders and grassroots mobilisation.
The growing prominence of the diaspora is introducing another layer to the political equation, one based less on physical presence and more on financial capacity, international exposure, professional networks and influence back home.
Korane argues the relationship between the county and its diaspora should be made more deliberate and institutionalised.
“The challenge is to create the right environment for that knowledge, capital and experience to flow back home,” he said.
Korane’s UK engagements came months after Haji made a week-long visit to the US in July, where he met Somali and Kenyan diaspora groups, including communities from Garissa.
In Minneapolis, Haji held engagements with members of the Awliyahan and Samawadhal communities, among other groups, describing the meetings as part of efforts to strengthen what he termed a political alliance and a shared vision for a united and progressive Garissa.
The Minneapolis-St Paul metropolitan area has one of the largest Somali populations in the US, making it an important destination for politicians seeking to connect with the diaspora.
Haji’s meetings, like Korane’s engagements in Britain, provided a platform to interact directly with community members, exchange ideas and discuss the role they could play in Garissa’s development.
He has described the diaspora as an important resource for the country’s development, pointing to its contribution through investment, entrepreneurship, philanthropy, innovation and transfer of skills and knowledge.
The decision by prominent governor aspirants to travel abroad is significant because such trips are rarely undertaken merely for social engagements during an election cycle.
For political campaigns, the diaspora represents a pool of professionals, entrepreneurs and business people with disposable incomes and extensive networks.
While members living abroad cannot cast ballots in Kenyan elections unless they meet applicable voting arrangements, their ability to influence relatives, communities and political conversations back home can be substantial.
According to Abubakar Hussein, a Garissa-based political analyst, diaspora communities have traditionally played an important role in financing families, community projects and increasingly, political activities.
“Political campaigns are expensive. Aspirants require resources for travel, meetings, mobilisation, communication, campaign teams and grassroots activities. That is where the diaspora community comes in,” he said.
In Garissa, where clan and community structures remain important in determining political support, maintaining a presence across the county can require significant financial resources.
“The diaspora, with its concentration of professionals and business people in countries such as the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and parts of Europe, can provide an alternative source of political financing,” Hussein said.
“An aspirant who can secure the backing of influential diaspora groups may gain access to financial resources, professional expertise and international networks that can strengthen a campaign,” he said.
Hussein says the diaspora may not determine the winner at the ballot box, but its money, ideas, networks and influence can help shape the political contest long before voters in Garissa walk into polling stations.
“The challenge for whoever eventually occupies the governor’s office will be to transform this largely informal relationship into a structured partnership,” he said.
