What is popularly known of Nathif Jama is the fact that he is the first ever governor of Garissa County heading a citizen population of 623,060.

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But what many are yet to decipher is, who is Nathif Jama outside the political arena?

Nathif Adam Jama is a veteran Islamic banker, with over 30 years of professional experience in banking career banking ranging from retail, investment, commercial and Islamic banking.

He is one of the distinguished personalities in Islamic finance fraternity a role that crowned him the ‘father of Islamic Banking in Kenya.

Jama is a prolific writer who has written quite a number of papers and business articles. His first book is titled 'Islamic Bonds: Your Guide to Issuing, structuring, and Investing in Sukuk' a book that was published and marketed by the Euromoney Ltd, UK.

Back to Garissa politics, his gubernatorial position has been marred with corruption scandals with the latest being the irregular allocation of a contract of the Red Cross.

He has brushed shoulders with several politicians, local youth, and anti-graft officials out to rate his report card prior to the 2017 elections.

What remains to be his greatest challenge in the incoming campaigns is bringing the Balambala voters back to his lane, given the fact that he narrowly escaped the wrath of disciplinarian youths of Balambala.

His political future rests at defending the coveted Garissa gubernatorial seat come 2017.