Mandera County has been in the spotlight for quite a while because of the recent statements made by Garre clan elders on who should govern the County come 2017.
The main people who have been highlighted and who will not defend their seats in Mandera come 2017 include Governor Ali Roba, Senator Billow Kerrow, Women rep Fathiya Mahbub and a total of 18 MCAs.
However, the elders in Mandera have no right to decide on behalf of the voters on who should lead them come 2017. The clan elders only have expressed their perspective on what they feel to be bad governance but have not got the views of the people of Mandera.
If the Governor of Mandera Ali Roba and his other elected counterparts have failed to deliver development to the people, then it is the people's mandate to vote out the county leaders.
The clan elders have no effect on the total number of voters in the area. But this is not the first time people have given their views on who should govern the people at the county levels.
In other parts of the country, counties like Kisumu, Siaya, Mombasa and others have had prominent people endorse leaders to the people and call on them to vote for these people.
In the end, this leads to unfair competition and those leaders who are defeated are always left with bitter tastes.
The Garre clan elders in Mandera County should desist from the tendency of trying to impose their political opinions on the people.
They should let the people vote and decide on who they want to be their leaders.