Former Parliament Deputy Speaker Farah Maalim has assured non-Somalis living in Garissa town of their security.
Maalim, who is vying for the Garissa Township MP seat against Parliament Majority leader Aden Duale said Kenyans from other parts of the county have the right to live and work in Garissa.
He told the press in Nairobi on Thursday that threats by some leaders in the county telling non-natives to leave should throughly be investigated and those behind them prosecuted.
Maalim in 2016 accused Duale of inciting Somali youth particularly in Garissa Township constituency to evict people from other regions of the country living in Garissa.
Maalim is expected to vie for the MP seat on a Wiper party ticket which, has a huge following from members of the Kamba community and other non-Somalis living in Garissa.
Last year, a video claimed to have been shot in Garissa during one Duale's rallies showed a leader telling youth from Garissa Township to evict non-Somalis from the constituency.
Duale denied that he was the one speaking in the video, telling the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to investigate the matter.
Garissa Township is among constituencies in the country where Kenyans expect a fierce contest during the August poll taking into account the popularity of the candidates involved.
During National Super Alliance's last rally in Garissa town in 2016, opposition chief Raila Odinga told Duale to expect a high voltage campaign mounted by opposition leaders who will campaign for Maalim.
Maalim is one of Mr Odinga's close allies in the opposition.
[Aden Duale and Farah Maalim. The two will come face to face in this year's August polls, where a tough battle is expected.]