Aden Duale is without a doubt one of the most controversial persons in Kenya today owing to his strong political sentiments in and out of parliament.
The Garissa Township Member of Parliament and Majority Leader in Parliament has attracted haters and lovers in equal measure and does not shy away from controversy when handling both his life and public activities. He is most famous for telling off then chairman of the governors’ council Isaac Ruto over his claim on devolution publicly earning the in’famous ‘Pesa sio ya Mama Yako’ tag.
Duale was winning again on Sunday evening when he was awarded with the Lifetime Achievement Award for his role in the representation of the Somali community in Kenya and their interest.during the first Somali Glamour Awards held at the iconic KICC building in Nairobi, as one of the members of the Somali community who are excelling in different fields like fashion, media, social media, politics and entertainment – him in politics of course.
The event which was attended by high ranking political leaders from the Somali community, media personalities and musicians was the first one ever and it did not disappoint as many faces across the various categories engaged in conversations on various issues affecting the community. Speaking at the awards event, Aden Duale seized the moment to inspire the winners as he called for high turnout in the coming census.
“This event is a prove itself that we are not guest in this country,” he said, adding that, “Somalis are now excelling in different areas such as in the mainstream and digital media, fashion, judiciary, religion, politics, business and entertainment.”
“But this will amount to nothing if we don’t participate in the 2019 census which is a yardstick for resource allocation and opportunities” Duale stated.
Aden was first voted into office when the constituency was Dujis in the 2007 parliamentary elections through an Orange Democratic Movement ticket before he switched parties befor the 2013 elections when he won re-election as a member of the United Republican Party and 2017 as a member of the Jubilee Party. He comes from the Abdulwak of the Talamooge sub-clan, which is part of the larger Ogaden clan.
He has been accused of being radical and dictatorial by his detractors since as a majority leader of the ruling party Jubilee, he is often quoted using threats and intimidation to scare e party members to vote for controversial legislative changes, some of which are often deemed unconstitutional.
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