Murule " Weytan" as we call ourselves, are a Somali Sub-clan that "resides" in the upper tip of Mandera District, of North Eastern Kenya.
Many people are aware that Murulles come from Jidle, as Murule Weitan Jidle, but few know that Murulles are brothers of Baadicade and Jejele, somali clans staying in and around Hiiraan region of Somalia, in Ethiopia and Kenya and are classified as "The Gugundhabe", A section of Hawiye, The biggest Somali tribe.
Murulles were represented in The Kenyan Parliament through the Mandera East Contituency Seat by Honourable Shaaban Ali Issack, The Former Assistant Minister of Local Government, Incharge of Urban authorities, in the Republic of Kenya.
Mandera is a town in
North Eastern Province,
Kenya. It is capital of the
Mandera District. The town is located at around
3°55′34″N, 41°50′46″E, near the borders with
Ethiopia and
Somalia. It has a population of 30,433 (1999 census)
[1]. Local people are mostly of
Somali tribes, some of them refugees from war-torn
Somalia. Majority of the local people are from
Murule and
Garre tribes.Smaller proportion represent the
Degodia tribe.
Murulle are normally a peaceful group of people unlike their cousins in Somalia and from time to time, their region is prone to clash between other clans who "pretend" to own or dominate Mandera.Many atimes, The murulles are "invited" for clashes pitting them and some Borana speaking clans from southern Ethiopia by the name Garres.The most nearest clash the Murules were entangled with the Garres left at least 100 lives since it erupted in December 2004/Jan 2005(carried by all world news including Aljazeera and the BBC)
Murulles are skillful people in business and many businessmen from the Somali community in Kenya and outside Kenya, are composed of various activities in the business sector including Real Estates, Money Transfer and retail shops.
The peaceful Murules are "perceived" as fearful people and normally other clans reciprocate that to mean they can grab Murules land.., rape their women and terrorize their livestock.
A number of concepts have been advanced to explain the cause and genesis of clan conflict in Mandera east and it's sorrounding areas of Mandera central.
In a political blunder, aggravated by the Garre community constant harrasment of the Murules from the State House of Kenya, The then President Daniel Arap Moi, In 1988, curved Mandera Central from the
larger Mandera East after the Murules succesfully managed to control the Garres from enchrocing to their land, in the famous, Colka Maqan, (the suspense War), of 1982/1983.
Mandera Central constituency was curved out from the then larger Mandera East where
Murule dominate following devastating clan clashes between
Murule and Garre clans in early 1980’s.
This creation of a new constituency was envisaged at cooling simmering tensions between the two clans over political representation.With Mandera Central constituency formed, the issue of political representation was solved but another problem was born. There emerged growing hatred and suspicion between the two clans.
Differences began to widen to an extent that the clan leadership and chiefs from both clans started to openly mobilise their clan members for the domination of the other.And to worsen the already fragile situation, the KANU led administration (especially between 1982-2002) created many administrative units (sublocations, locations and divisions) in hitherto community-grazing areas in the district, mainly for political mileage.
The Alango location which belongs to the Murules, but Garres claim it falls under Mandera Central is a good example of conflict arising from creation and or competition over administrative units.Chiefs and their assistants in the location and other neighbouring locations have been clamouring that their boundaries have been interfered with.
The
Murule clans are accusing the Garres of harbouring and supporting foreign militia in their locations. Watering Garre livestock at Alango Dam has been a nightmare ever since for fear of Murules and has often resulted to confrontations and armed violence with unpleasant repercussions.
Although the creation of additional administrative units was meant to make ‘services closer to the people’, it is important to point out that that has not been the case in Mandera and adjacent districts. These additional locations and sub locations have mainly contributed to the escalation of conflicts in the entire North Eastern province, because clans which felt they have an upper hand in the politics were "out manouvered" by others.
On the other hand, the power struggle between different factions in Somalia has spilled over to the Kenyan side. Each of the clan has been trying to forge military alliance with their counterparts in Somali.The
Murule have allegedly forged an alliance with the Eldera section of the larger Marehaan clan of Somalia, which are a power house in the Gedo region of somalia.
On the other hand, the
Garre clan in Mandera district has forged an alliance with their Garre kinsmen in Ethiopia, an alliance also backed by the Bonn and
Ororsame of the Marehaan, who are fond of raping women, who are at loggerheads with the Main marexaan clan of Eldere, who are inter-married with Murulles.
It is also rumored that these alliances are being forged ahead of the 2007 general elections as each group intends to mobilize enough voters to sustain their political representation and or supremacy.
Mandera East is mostly a Murule land and Murules are targeting to spearhead verocious campaign to atleast capture another seat in collaboration with other "minority" clans in the area like the degodias and Sheekhaal.
Most votes of the previous general election of 2002, was dominated by current MP of the Mandera East, himself a
Murule.Hon. Shaaban Ali Isaack, the current Member of Kenyan Parliament and also a government Minister incharge of urban authorities(Councils).see
[2].The Minister had the highest votes in the last election of 2002, from the whole North Eastern Region of Kenya, where somalis live.
Competition over access to pasture and water resources in the district has been the traditional cause and trigger of conflict between the two clans.The Garre community "thinks" it own some track of land between southern Ethiopia and part ofnorthern kenya and wants to create some kind of domination along these areas.That is why, they have atleast fought with every clan that resides in the area.They fought wars with the Ajuuran, the Degodias and even the Marexaan from Somalia.The Murulles are the only people who did actually contained Garre Expansion in the region.
Alhamdulillah, The Murulle community who happen to own substantial number of livestock including camels and are peaceful in their grazing area will not "condone" any criminal activities in their region.
The colonial boundaries of the Murule land must be respected and with our huge camel herds, we will NEVER accept to be denied access to pasture even on the western flank of the district, which is mainly inhabited by the Garre, coutesy of the colonial boundary structure.
The Murulles are also lucky to have benefitted from several USA, UK based NGO's and charities including The Civil Action projects, supported through the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa (CJTF-HOA), a U.S. led multi-nation group based in Djibouti, which has established a closer working relationships with local people of Arabia, Mandera East in order to end the threat of terrorism in the region.
The then U.S. Ambassador to Kenya William M. Bellamy on January 2004, presided the construction of the Arabia Secondary School in Mandera District of Kenya's Northeastern Province. He was hosted by the area M.P., the Hon. Shabaan Isaak.
The Arabia Secondary School project is by far the largest of many similar "Civil Action" projects in Kenya by the USA and we hope the new
Microsoft Unlimited Potential (UP) programme would target sectors that concern the youth in our region..
Over the past year U.S. military and counterparts in the Kenyan Department of Defense Projects have worked together on projects at various locations in that area.U.S. soldiers and the Kenyan military cooperated over the past several months on that project to refurbish and expand facilities at the school, located some 70 kms . south of Mandera town.
The Arabia Secondary School now has a library, a new dining hall and kitchen, and an additional classroom building. As a result, the number of students attending the school increased from 160 to 240.
The U.S. committed a total of 7.3 million Kshs. to underwrite the project, using local contractors and supplies.
Notable among personalities from Murules include, Honourable Shaaban Ali Issack, Former MP for Mandera East and Lafey Constituencies, The late MP Hon. Abdillahi Abajan, of PICK party of Kenya, Mr. Abdullahi Abdinoor Gessey, of IPAK kenya, a local NGO, The former Kenya National Library Services Chairman, Now Lafey MP, Hon. Abdi Mude and several other reputable bankers,lawyers and corporate individuals.
