Isiolo Politics | Senate Public Accounts Committee | Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha | Fatuma Dhullo | Governor Abdi Guyo
Isiolo, Kenya| In what has become the most humiliating public confirmation of a fallen political career, the Senate of Kenya has formally referred to the controversial Mohamed Roba Qoto (MRQ) as the “Former Speaker of Isiolo County Assembly” in an official invitation letter dated for Friday, 5th December 2025.
The letter, issued by the Senate Public Accounts Committee (PAC), invites MRQ to appear for questioning – but the deliberate and unambiguous use of the title “former Speaker” has sent shock-waves across Isiolo County, effectively ending months of denial, drama and desperate political theatrics.
The Letter That Ended the Illusion
Residents of Isiolo and keen political observers immediately noted the stark contrast in how the Senate addressed the two individuals at the center of the county’s protracted speakership crisis:
- Mohamed Roba Qoto → “Former Speaker of Isiolo County”
- Hon. Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha → “Speaker, Isiolo County Assembly”
This is not a clerical error. It is a deliberate, legally grounded recognition of reality by the Upper House.
Legal experts and seasoned political analysts in Isiolo have described the wording as “the final judicial and political burial” of MRQ’s claim to the speakership – a claim he has clung to despite a devastating impeachment process that was only halted by a controversial court stay order.
How Tears in Nairobi Sealed His Fate
Sources close to Parliament Buildings reveal a dramatic behind-the-scenes episode that preceded the invitation.
After months of being ignored by Senate leadership, a desperate MRQ reportedly went down on his knees before Isiolo County Senator Fatuma Adan Dhullo, literally pleading and shedding tears for a chance to appear before any Senate committee.
He believed that a public appearance at the Senate – any appearance – would breathe life into his dying political relevance and give his supporters something to hold onto.
Senator Dhullo, under intense pressure from a section of the county’s political class, reportedly pushed the Senate Clerk to extend an invitation.
But the Senate, a House anchored on law, order and institutional memory, had no legal pathway to summon an individual whose impeachment, though paused by a stay order, remains the last substantive decision on record.
The compromise? An invitation – but strictly as a private citizen and former Speaker, not as the incumbent holder of the office.
“Come for Coffee” – The Ultimate Snub
In a further twist that has left Isiolo political circles buzzing, the Senate PAC reportedly instructed MRQ to appear without the County Assembly Clerk – the official custodian of all legislative records.
Legal commentators were quick to point out the implication: without the Clerk and the official records, the committee was essentially telling MRQ, “Come and take coffee with us. You have no documents to table because you are no longer in office.”
As Wakili Dharartu, the respected Isiolo-based advocate of the High Court and online political commentator, succinctly put it:
“Addressing him as former Speaker was the final and irreversible blow. It stripped off the last veil he was hiding behind. The Senate meeting he was so desperate to use as proof of legitimacy ended up exposing his political emptiness.”
From Lionheart’s Ally to Political Orphan
MRQ’s rise to the speakership was entirely engineered by Isiolo Governor Abdi Ibrahim Hassan Guyo – affectionately known as “The Lionheart” – a moniker given to him by his supporters during the turbulent early days of the first-term administration for his wise leadership insights in solving some of the perennial challenges bedeviling the people of Isiolo for decades.
But as Wakili Dharartu has repeatedly pointed out in her widely followed commentary, “He came in by the power of Governor Guyo, and he has been removed by the same power.”
In Kenya’s county governance structure, no institution – not even the County Assembly – operates above the executive authority of the Governor when political survival is at stake. MRQ’s fallout with Governor Guyo sealed his fate long before the impeachment motion was tabled.
Banticha: The One and Only Speaker
While MRQ continues to post photos in the Speaker’s chair for his dwindling band of supporters, the Senate’s position is crystal clear: Hon. Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha is the only legally recognized Speaker of the Isiolo County Assembly.
The County Assembly Clerk, who has remained firmly aligned with the current administration, has never recognized MRQ’s parallel leadership.
All official correspondence, including responses to national government agencies and constitutional commissions, continue to flow through Speaker Banticha’s office.
The Last Nail, Hammered by His Own Hand
What MRQ hoped would be his grand comeback has instead become the most public confirmation of his political obituary.
As one local resident remarked on social media:
“He begged for the Senate stage to prove he is still Speaker. The Senate gave him the stage – and used it to bury him.”
For the people of Isiolo, the message from Nairobi is now unambiguous: Speaker ni Wahed – Abdullahi Jaldesa Banticha.
The chapter of Mohamed Roba Qoto’s speakership is not just closed. It has been officially sealed, signed, and stamped by the Senate of the Republic of Kenya.
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