With talk of who controls 'what' in Garissa County raging, this writer has managed to unravel the faces holding the lion's share of the county's economy.
It has emerged that it is just two families that own and control the larger of Garissa’s wealth and by extension also wielding immense political following in the county.
Gen Rtd Mohammed Mahmud's immediate family and a former detainee, Roble Mahat Kuno are much synonymous with property ownership in Garissa Town and the broader county.
Gen Mohamed ascended to fame in 1982 during Moi's era for having crushed the abortive coup by recapturing the state-owned media, then Voice of Kenya radio from junior Kenya Air Force rebels.
He gradually rose to the pinnacle of the military ranks, becoming Chief of General Staff, before opting to retire in 1996. His biological children have continuously extended the old man’s influence in the region.
Gen Mahmud owns many commercial buildings in Garissa Town, housing big business hubs including leading Kenyan banks. The general and his immediate family also own business houses and the 146-acre Maendeleo commercial Farm on the banks of River Tana.
The general’s sons and daughters have also married into families of Who is Who in the expansive Garissa County. Garissa Township legislator Aden Duale, for instance, is married to the general’s daughter.
Aden Duale alongside his brother, Noor Barre, have also created their own empire in the county. They are the owners of the famous Nomad Resort, which is the second upmarket hotel in the township besides other successful commercial ventures, including the affiliate Nomad Hotel in Nairobi’s Eastleigh area.
Ali Buno Korane, a former Permanent Secretary for Information and Tourism and now Garissa politician is married to another one of the general’s daughters, adding to the chain of the faces behind the Garissa County economy holders.