Balambala MP aspirant Abdi Omar Shurie has denied claims that he is an outsider imposed on the electorate by a section of clan elders.
Abdi has said he comes from Garissa County and his family is part of the Abduwak clan.
Clan politics in North Eastern region plays an instrumental role in determining who is elected or not.
“Within our families and communities, there are no boundaries. I can live anywhere. When somebody says I am an outsider, he is trying to look for cheap propaganda,” he said.
“If I felt I was an outsider and and did not belong here, then I would not be here and I doubt if the Council of Elders would have proposed that I run for Balambala MP,” he added.
He is expected to run on a Jubilee Party ticket.
Speaking in Balich, Balambala during a graduation ceremony, he said Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden (ODM) who claims he is an outsider does not understand the constituency well.
Abdi is among aspirants endorsed by the Abduwak Council of Elders in December 2016, but MP Abdikadir has refused to step down for him.
During the elders' endorsement of the leaders, Ali Korane was chosen to vie for the seat of Garissa governor, Aden Duale to defend his Garissa Township MP seat while it was agreed that Barre Shill would defend his Fafi parliamentary seat.
The elders told residents to back the leaders they had endorsed.
Abdi expressed confidence he would defeat Abdikadir and sail through to Parliament, claiming Abdikadir has failed to solve problems facing Balambala constituents.
[Balambala MP Abdikadir Aden (ODM). He will battle it out with Abdi Omar Shurie for the parliamentary seat.] the-star.co.ke