AbdiF

Global Nomad. Humanitarian.

[Filippo Grandi @FilippoGrandi]

Solidarity with Omar Artan, the #WorldCup referee from Somalia denied entry in the United States.

How sad to see a country whose greatness owes so much to the talent of migrants and refugees refuse entry to a man of great talent.

[خليل البلوشي @khalilalbalush1]

شاهدنا افتتاح المكسيك فتذكرنا عظمة قطر

قطر لم تقم بمجرد تنظيم لكأس العالم
قطر صنعت إرثًا سيبقى خالدًا في ذاكرة المونديال 🇶🇦

افتتاح أبهر العالم، تنظيم شهد له الجميع، ملاعب صنعت المستقبل، وجماهير عاشت تجربة لن تتكرر بسهولة.

ومهما تعددت النسخ وتنوعت الاستضافات، سيظل مونديال قطر هو المعيار الذي تُقاس عليه عظمة التنظيم وروعة التفاصيل

شكراً قطر 🇶🇦
على تنظيم سنفتخر به دائماً

[الهاشمي - ALHACHIMI @MALHACHIMI]

Please share this. If we stay silent today, we normalise this tomorrow.

Cc: @MoysFGS @sff1951 @FIFAcom @CAF_Online @fifamedia @FIFAWorldCup

The exclusion of Somali referee Omar Artan from the World Cup is deeply troubling. As a British journalist of African origin, I am angered not only by what happened to him, but by the cowardly silence of FIFA and CAF. If they will not defend an African official at a World Cup, what do their commitments to inclusion and equality really mean?

[FCB World @forcabarca_ar]

Give Omar fairness💔

[Jeremy Corbyn @jeremycorbyn]

What an absolute disgrace. A FIFA-certified referee being denied entry to the United States purely because he is Somali.

The World Cup is meant to bring people together. This is racism, plain and simple. Shameful.

https://t.co/rpSgTmmPU4

[AbdiF @FarahJR10]

Thank you @HonAdenDuale for clearly articulating the measures the government is taking in safeguarding public health. I followed the #JKL show keenly and its reassuring the proactive measures in place. Proudly Kenyan God Bless 🇰🇪 @KoinangeJeff #JKL

[William Samoei Ruto, PhD @WilliamsRuto]

We have concluded our three-day tour of Wajir and Garissa counties, reaffirming our commitment to ending the historical marginalisation of Northern Kenya through sustained investment in development programmes and infrastructure.

We thank the people of Wajir and Garissa for their warm hospitality, support, and engagement throughout the tour. Together, we will continue working to unlock the immense potential of Northern Kenya and ensure that no region is left behind in our country's transformation journey.

Inspected progress on the 257km Lamu-Ijara-Garissa Road, part of the 453km LAPSSET Corridor Development Project.

The KSh17.9 billion project is scheduled for completion early next year and will provide an alternative transport corridor, support regional integration, improve security, and provide an evacuation route at Lamu Port.

[William Samoei Ruto, PhD @WilliamsRuto]

The historic Madaraka Day celebration in Wajir County is, without question, the most consequential of my lifetime and political career. Today, we are confronting and correcting a historical injustice that has endured for more than six decades.

For far too long, the people of Northern Kenya bore the burden of State-sanctioned neglect following the policy direction set out in Sessional Paper No. 10 of 1965.

The result was decades of marginalisation, under-investment, and missed opportunities for generations of Kenyans in this region.

[Mohammed Hersi : Mr Optimist @mohammedhersi]

1/2 Wajir Was Never the Edge of Kenya. Today We Stop Pretending It Was.

For sixty-three years, a quiet lie sat at the heart of our national story that Kenya had a centre and a margin, a place that mattered and a place that merely existed. The centre got the flags, the stadiums, the presidents and the cameras. The margin the old Northern Frontier District got soldiers, suspicion, and silence.

Today, on the first of June 2026, that lie is being buried in the red soil of Wajir, and not a moment too soon. Madaraka Day means self-rule. Power belonging to the people. It is therefore the most fitting holiday imaginable to bring, for the very first time since independence, to a region that has spent six decades being ruled rather than included.

President Uhuru Kenyatta began the practice of carrying our national days beyond Nairobi. President Ruto continued it, Embu, Kericho, Bungoma, Kwale, Homa Bay, Kitui and now, on the seventh occasion away from the capital, he has done the thing that no government before dared to do. He has brought the Republic to Wajir.

Start with the history, because it demolishes the central myth the notion that Wajir is some remote, forgotten edge of the country. Wajir was founded in 1912 by the British colonial administration, which built a fortified outpost, a boma, to guard the strategically vital shallow wells and to assert control over the Northern Frontier District. That makes it one of the oldest towns in the entire country older than almost anywhere outside the coast.

Nobody plants a garrison in a place that does not matter. Then, during the Second World War, this same town was invaded and occupied by the Italian army and became a point of bitter conflict for more than six months. African, Indian and European soldiers fought and bled here, side by side, as part of the global struggle that decided the fate of nations. Empires did not battle for half a year over an irrelevant patch of desert. They fought over Wajir because Wajir was worth fighting for. Soldiers of three continents understood its value generations ago. It is long past time the rest of us caught up.

Let us be honest about what Wajir has carried. This is a county where, in February 1984, security forces of the state herded thousands of men onto an airstrip and left them to die in the sun. By some accounts close to five thousand sons of this land never walked home from Wagalla. For decades the country looked away so when a president flies in, when the national anthem is sung at a brand-new stadium on Wajir's own ground, understand what is actually happening: the same state that once arrived here with rifles is arriving with a flag, a parade, and a promise. That is not symbolism. That is repair.

Consider what this county did not have within living memory. Not a single inch of tarmac. Men and women were born, lived full lives, and were buried having never once seen a tarmacked road, never turned a tap and watched clean water run. To this day Wajir, Mandera and Marsabit are not even wired into the national electricity grid. The same grid that lights Nairobi's billboards and Mombasa's hotels. You cannot lecture a region about patriotism while leaving it in the dark. Belonging is not a speech. Belonging is a road, a hospital, a light bulb, a reason for your children to stay.

To the critics who say the stadium is misplaced. I hear them, and I reject them. A 10,000-seat stadium has risen here in record time, built by the Kenya Defence Forces, alongside an upgraded airport, new town roads, street lighting that has changed the very face of Wajir at night, and the launch of a fully equipped Level 5 hospital.

[William Samoei Ruto, PhD @WilliamsRuto]

As Muslim faithful across our country and around the world mark the end of the Day of Arafat and the beginning of Eid-ul-Adha, I extend my warmest wishes for a peaceful and joyous celebration.

Eid-ul-Adha, celebrated during this sacred season of the Hajj pilgrimage, one of the pillars of Islam, reflects the values of faith, obedience, and sacrifice exemplified by Prophet Ibrahim, and continues to inspire compassion, humility, and service to others.

The occasion also calls upon us to remember the less fortunate, strengthen the bonds of unity and coexistence, and reaffirm our shared commitment to peace and harmony as one nation.

To all Muslim faithful, I wish you and your families joy, good health, and abundant blessings during this holy celebration.

Eid Mubarak.

[UNHCR Ukraine @UNHCRUkraine]

UNHCR strongly condemns the🇷🇺attack on Dnipro🇺🇦, which hit a UNHCR-contracted warehouse.
Humanitarian aid, incl shelter & relief items, were destroyed.
We're working w/ partners to urgently replenish stocks & secure alternative storage. #NOTATARGET
More: https://t.co/Oaa9sAoxKw

[UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency @Refugees]

This is unacceptable.

We strongly condemn the Russian attack on Dnipro, Ukraine, that claimed at least two civilian lives, injured more and hit a UNHCR-contracted warehouse filled with life-saving humanitarian aid.

Humanitarians are #NotATarget. These attacks must stop.

[UNMISS @unmissmedia]

“It’s not just the @UN that lost a leader, humanity has lost one of its truest champions.” #UNMISS colleagues pay tribute to Nicholas Haysom, Special Representative of the Secretary-General in #SouthSudan 🇸🇸. His extraordinary contributions to peace will continue to inspire us🕊️

[AbdiF @FarahJR10]

Discipline, determination, passion and commitment. @EliudKipchoge inspires many of us. Thank you Sir!

[Larry Madowo @LarryMadowo]

“Meeting Kipchoge was like meeting a god or something.”

This American fan broke down when @EliudKipchoge ran past him in New York

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

Deeply concerned by the situation in Tanzania, including reports of deaths & injuries during demonstrations.

I call on all to exercise restraint, reject violence & engage in inclusive & constructive dialogue to prevent further escalation.

The @UN stands ready to support efforts aimed at fostering dialogue, strengthening democratic governance & promoting sustainable peace in Tanzania.

[United Nations @UN]

What we share online can have consequences in the real world.

Before sharing content, pause to verify facts by asking basic questions.

Global Media and Information Literacy Week wraps up on Friday. https://t.co/kguu9eEJgD

[UN Human Rights @UNHumanRights]

#Tanzania: We are alarmed by the deaths & injuries in the ongoing election-related protests, as the security forces used firearms and teargas to disperse protesters.

We call on the security forces to refrain from using unnecessary or disproportionate force, including lethal weapons, against protesters, & to make every effort to deescalate tensions. Protesters should demonstrate peacefully.

https://t.co/SLmsdnGTT9

[António Guterres @antonioguterres]

For 80 years, the Security Council has shaped the UN and the course of history.

But, without a Security Council fit for purpose, the world is in grave danger.

Reform of the Council is imperative, and long overdue – including expanding its membership.

https://t.co/P4GPT8OS2j

[AbdiF @FarahJR10]

Sad to see surge in attacks and displacement in Mozambique. I worked here before and the families I met then were hopeful of return and recovery. #Mozambique

[UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency @Refugees]

In northern Mozambique, fear and uncertainty have returned.

People are fleeing renewed violence that has already displaced tens of thousands in just weeks.

They need food. They need shelter. They need protection.

Please help with a donation.

[UNICEF @UNICEF]

Over 900 days of brutal fighting in Sudan, widespread violations of human rights, famine, and the breakdown of life-sustaining services have pushed millions to the brink of survival, particularly women and children.

IOM, UNHCR, UNICEF and WFP urge immediate action to address escalating humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Read more: https://t.co/QSN8teP8gY

@TedChaiban