Residents of Wajir West Constituency have increasingly raised questions regarding the conduct, priorities, and financial dealings of their sitting Member of Parliament, Yussuf Mohamed Farah, popularly known as Yussuf Muliro, noting that his well-documented background in the construction sector appears to overlap in ways that many constituents consider incompatible with his public duties.
Companies linked to him, among them Possible Limited, Baraki International, and Skyline Construction, are reported to have secured multiple contracts from national agencies such as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), other government institutions, and the county administration, a pattern that residents say presents a troubling conflict of interest given the MP’s legislative responsibilities and his membership in the National Assembly’s Public Investments Committee, which is mandated to examine the use of public funds and oversee procurement processes.
According to constituents, the MP is largely absent from his constituency, with his visits primarily associated with construction-related activities rather than structured engagement with local communities, stakeholder forums, or oversight of constituency projects.
Much of his time is reportedly spent in Nairobi moving from office to office to follow up on tender applications and project approvals, a situation that, residents argue, reflects a prioritization of private commercial interests over the delivery of public service and leaves the day-to-day operations of the constituency office dependent on a network of aides and political allies who provide secondhand information about developments on the ground, limiting the electorate’s ability to interact directly with their elected representative and undermining the transparency of local governance.
“He is hardly ever in the constituency unless it’s to supervise one of his construction projects,” one resident, who asked to remain anonymous, told us.
“We rarely get to meet him in community forums, and most of our issues are relayed through his aides. It feels like the constituency office is running itself.”
Public apprehension has intensified following reports from Hadado Waberi, where teachers who had been promoted on merit to the positions of Principal and Deputy Principal by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) later had their appointment letters withdrawn, an action that residents claim occurred after the MP, or individuals close to him, exerted pressure on TSC officials to reverse the appointments, a move that constitutes interference in an independent public institution and a breach of the ethical standards expected of a sitting legislator, raising questions about the misuse of influence and potential abuse of office in what should be autonomous administrative processes.
“When the TSC reversed those promotions, people in the community were shocked. It’s hard to understand why political influence would touch what should be independent decisions. It makes us feel that even institutions that are supposed to be impartial can be pressured,” another resident said on condition of anonymity.
The combination of absenteeism, the perceived prioritization of personal business interests, and alleged interference in administrative matters has prompted residents to demand that oversight agencies, specifically the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), conduct a thorough review of the MP’s wealth, assets, and commercial engagements.
His reported accumulation of wealth in recent years, purportedly amounting to billions of shillings, appears inconsistent with financial records over the past 10–12 years, during which constituents say there is little evidence of substantial savings or legitimate accumulation of assets, creating a perception of opacity and prompting questions about the sources and legality of his financial growth.
“We are worried that public contracts are being influenced by personal connections. The MP is very visible in his construction projects but less so in actual governance, which leaves investors and citizens uneasy about fairness and transparency,” one business owner described to this news outlet.
Locals have also highlighted the wider implications of the situation, suggesting that the combination of an elected official managing active commercial enterprises, frequent absences from the constituency, and alleged interference in independent institutions threatens the credibility of public office and may affect investor confidence in fair competition for government contracts, particularly in sectors such as construction where large sums of public money are involved and transparency is critical for both economic and governance outcomes.
Residents argue that these issues have broader social and governance repercussions, pointing out that they weaken accountability mechanisms, reduce the effectiveness of oversight committees in Parliament, and limit the ability of ordinary citizens to seek redress or participate meaningfully in constituency governance, with many expressing frustration at the lack of direct engagement, delayed responses to constituency matters, and a perception that private commercial interests are being advanced at the expense of public service, leaving essential projects and community priorities vulnerable to neglect or mismanagement.
The debate over the MP’s conduct is further framed by the political context of Wajir West, where he succeeded Ahmed Kolosh Mohamed following the 2022 General Election on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket, part of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, and has since held committee seats in the National Assembly, such as the Public Investments Committee and the Departmental Committee on Sports, Tourism, and Culture, roles that give him influence over both fiscal oversight and development initiatives, and which residents argue should be exercised with strict separation from personal business operations to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure that public resources are protected and equitably allocated.
In addition to commercial and administrative matters, residents point to repeated incidents where constituency projects, such as the establishment of the Hadado Huduma Centre and the Waberi Girls Secondary School, have been directly linked to the MP’s supervision, with critics suggesting that the framing of such projects around construction oversight by his companies risks blurring the line between public infrastructure delivery and private commercial benefit, further complicating perceptions of ethical conduct, transparency, and responsible leadership.
For the people of Wajir West, the cumulative effect of absentee representation, the apparent prioritization of private contracts, alleged interference in public service appointments, and rapid financial accumulation has created a deep sense of disenfranchisement and unease among constituents.
Residents are calling on the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) to intervene, arguing that public office must be exercised in a transparent, accountable manner that safeguards community interests and ensures adherence to the principles of good governance.
They further maintain that effective representation requires a visible, responsive, and engaged MP who clearly separates personal commercial interests from public duties, not only to restore trust and uphold integrity but also to maintain investor confidence, protect the credibility of state institutions, and guarantee the proper delivery of essential services in the constituency.
This news outlet will be closely monitoring whether the relevant oversight bodies, namely the EACC and DCI, take decisive action to examine the MP’s commercial engagements and financial records, and it remains to be seen whether these agencies will hold him accountable in a manner that restores public confidence, enforces transparency, and reinforces the principle that elected office cannot be used to advance private business interests at the expense of constituents.
