Mohammed Adow, a veteran journalist, acquired his ODM certificate on Wednesday, allowing him to run for Wajir South MP.
Raila Odinga, the head of the ODM, presented Adow with his certificate, allowing him to take Mohamud Mohamed Sheikh’s seat.
In an exclusive interview with the Star on Thursday, Adow said that entering politics is a sacrifice he is willing to make in order to improve the lives of inhabitants in the vast district.
He stated that taking responsibility for the use of resources to improve people’s lives is necessary.
Despite intense pressure from neighbors, the former Aljazeera journalist said he delayed entering politics in 2013 and 2017.
He also stated that his media career was on the rise.
Adow slammed the county’s degree of corruption and plunder of public funds, calling it “abysmal.”
He said devolved funds if utilised well, would have improved critical services such as water and health.
“Initially there was some form of comfort in blaming the national government for under development. However, resources are devolved but we have nothing to show,” Adow said.
The aspirant said if elected he will push for the reopening of the Somalia-Kenya border to boost economies of the villages.
The reopening he said will also help the government get much needed revenue and encourage the Africa Union’s intra-trade, which enables African nations to do business amongst themselves.
The border was officially closed in 2015 following increased attacks by al Shabaab militants.
“My entrance into politics is to offer leadership and find solutions to issues that bedevil our people. It’s unfortunate that people are still lacking access to clean water,” Adow said.
The aspirant however said negotiated democracy has emboldened nepotism with mostly elders choosing wrong leaders for the people.
Adow started his media career as a Garissa correspondent for Daily Nation in 1996. He later joined the BBC in Nairobi and Ethiopia as a world service correspondent.
In 2006, he joined Qatar based Al Jazeera as Africa correspondent before he was transferred to Doha as World correspondent in Africa, Middle East and Europe in 2017.
Some of the events he covered include fighting Isil, Boko Haram, in Nigeria, Al-qaeda, the fight in Yemen as well as the Syria crisis.