With just hours to much anticipated Jubbaland polls, Al-Shabaab militants attacked a military base manned by Somalia National Army on Wednesday in the neighbouring Shebelle region.
The attack in Qoryooley town left four militants dead, with tension raising ahead of Thursday's polls that will see Sheikh Ahmed Madobe seek re-election as Jubbaland President.
The Somali National Army and Kenya Defense Forces have been conducting large-scale operations against Al-Shabaab and seized strategic towns in the Lower Shabelle region.
Kenya is keen to have Somalia stabilising thus keen strategic interest at Jubbaland and areas near the capital Mogadishu. KDF team helped SNA repulse the militants on Wednesday.
The incumbent, Ahmed Islam, best known as Madobe, will compete against Anab Dahir, Mohamed Gedi, and Mohamud Omar.
Hamza Barre, the head of the Jubaland electoral commission, says he is happy with the process so far.
"The electoral process is going on well, we are almost to the end of the process, it was a long journey. Now we are in a situation where we have a parliament with its leadership and today all the candidates spoke to the parliamentarians to seek their vote and Thursday a president will be elected.”
George Musumali, director of the Center for Risk Management in Africa, says militant group al-Shabab will try to exploit the political divisions currently rocking Jubbaland.
“Definitely Al-Shabaab will take advantage of this and the Somali national government will focus on fighting and defeating Jubaland," he said.
"This will also prove shaky for the Kenya presence in Somalia and basically it's also going to expose Kenya to more threats from the al-Shabab, bearing mind now they will be a conflicting side with the Somali national government.”
To block infiltration by federal government President Mohammed Farmaajo and Ethiopia, Jubbaland in conjunction with KDF closed Kismayo Airport on Tuesday.
Madobe is a key ally of Nairobi in the fight against Al-Shabaab thus the keen interest to have him retained. Kenya mans Sector 2 and 6 of Somalia which covers Jubbaland.
The Wednesday attack on the military base is among many attempts by the weakened militants. In July, they were overwhelmed at KDF base in Afmadow.