IEBC Commissioner Abdi Guliye speaking after announcement of results. Mohamed Shide won the Masalani MCA Ward. ( Photo/nation.co.ke)
Former Garissa Deputy Speaker Abubakar Mohamed Shide is the new Member of the County Assembly (MCA) for Msalani Ward. According to a local daily, Shide bagged the seat after trouncing other several powerful leaders during the by-election which attracted lower voter turnout. The politician garnered 2,922 votes against his close rival, Mr Suleiman Abdullahi, Muktar’s 2,870 votes after the results of the exercise were announced by Ijara IEBC Returning Officer Farah Abdi Ibrahim. The exercise was carried out following the demises of Amani National Congress (ANC) candidate Ibrahim Abdullahi, who was involved in a tragic road accident, 33 days to the by-election. The elections were overseen by different senior officers including Commissioner Abdi Guliye and Acting CEO Hussein Marjan. Guliye asked the residents not to be divided because of their political differences following an incident in which an elderly man was stabbed at a polling station following an argument with another."It is unfortunate and embarrassing [for people to fight] because of an MCA seat. This shows how the seat was hotly contested and as a result, people were so divided and the winner should work extra hard to bring [them] together," he said, as quoted by Nation.