Tubi Vs Bina: UDA's Tubi Jnr wins Isiolo South MP seat after heated family contest

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Tubi Mohamed Tubi, 36, of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), has been declared the MP-elect of Isiolo South Constituency after garnering 7,352 votes. At the same time, his closest challenger and elder sister, Bina of Jubilee, emerged a distant second with 634 votes in the exercise marred by low voter turnout.

Isaac Abduba Fayo, who was nominated by the National Economic Development Party (NEDP) but quit the race in favour of the UDA flag-bearer, got a paltry 44 votes.

Returning Officer, Abdi Sheikh, announced the poll results at Garba Tula High School shortly before 7 am from the Constituency's 60 out of 61 polling stations.

The turnout was 36 per cent. The vast, remote and sparsely populated Constituency that measures 9,818 square kilometres has 22,181 registered voters spread across 61 polling stations.

It's the third least sparsely populated Constituency in the country after Lamu East and Lamu West.

The outcome of the result from the Garba Tula Day Secondary School polling station was cancelled after it was discovered that there was a major voting irregularity that had occurred there.

It was discovered during the vote tallying that the polling station had declared 261 votes had been cast, while the KIEMS kit only captured 161 voters.

The very low voter turnout was attributed to apathy that characterised most by-elections in the country, prevailing drought situation that had led to migration of the mostly pastoralist residents to move elsewhere in search of pasture and water for their livestock.

Ramadhan period in this largely Muslim-inhabited area also impacted negatively on the turnout, with some residents preferring to stay at home in order not to affect their fasting.

Tubi Jnr expressed happiness for capturing the seat that fell vacant following the death of his father, the late Mohamed Tubi Bidu, last November 12 at a Nairobi hospital after a long illness.

"I am happy with this win and also thank Allah (God) for it, thank the people of Isiolo South, despite the low turnout for trusting in me and voting for me," he said.

The siblings bumped into each other at Garba Tula High School, the venue of the vote tallying centre, to witness the breaking of ballot boxes' security seals. They glanced and murmured at each other briefly before focusing on the issue at hand.

Tubi Jnr, in an earlier interview at Algani Girls School polling station, said there's no sibling rivalry between him and his elder step-sister, adding that it was her democratic right to vie for the seat.

He was, however, quick to add that he was picked and got blessings from their clan elders, and thereafter he was presented to other clans for support (in the by-election).

"I was endorsed by our clan elders, who also gave me their blessings, but democracy allows (competition), but there's no problem (between us)," he said.

He pledged to continue with the work started by his father, adding that he would give education a priority, with the promise of ensuring that no needy student would be sent home due to lack of fees.

At the same polling station, an angry agent of Bina said there was no election that was going on, claiming that ' influential people ' were bribing voters openly within the precinct of polling stations, an allegation that was dismissed by IEBC Commissioner Hassan Noor Hassan.

Bina could not be reached for comment, but in an earlier interview with The Standard clarified that she was not influenced by sibling rivalry to go for the seat.

She also dismissed claims that 'outsiders' were using her to put a wedge between the family members.

She said the elders had proposed that one of the children of the late MP go for the seat after agreeing among themselves.

"We were yet to agree who among us (nine siblings) should go for the seat. We were surprised when the elders made the declaration (that her brother was the choice of the children of the deceased)," Bina said after she declared her candidature.