Quick Facts
Biography
Mohamed Yusuf Haji (Somali: Maxamed Yuusuf Xaaji) (born 23 December 1940) is a Kenyan politician. He was the Minister of Defence of Kenya from 2008 to 2013, and briefly served as its acting Minister of Internal Security and Provincial Affairs in 2012. He has served in the Senate of Kenya since 2013.
Personal life
Haji was born in 1940 in Garissa District in the North Eastern Province (Northern Frontier District) to an ethnic Somali family. He hails from the Abdalla subclan of the Ogaden Darod.
For his post-secondary education, Haji earned a diploma from the University of Birmingham, where he majored in Management and Finance Control.
Haji is Muslim and is married.
Political career
Early career
Haji began his professional career in administration and management. He joined the Provincial Administration of Kenya as a District Officer, and went on to serve as Provincial Commissioner between 1970 and 1997.
In 1998, Haji was nominated as a member of the Kenyan Parliament. He was later elected an official Member of Parliament on a Kenya African National Union (KANU) ticket.
From 1998 to 2001, Haji worked as an Assistant Minister in the Office of the President. He subsequently acted as the Office's Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs in 2002.
On a KANU ticket, Haji was elected to represent the Ijara Constituency in the National Assembly of Kenya at the 2007 parliamentary elections.
Minister of Defence
On 8 January 2008, Haji was appointed Kenya's Minister of State for Defence after the 27 December 2007 general elections.
On 18 October 2011, Haji and a Kenyan delegation met with Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) officials in Mogadishu to discuss security issues cooperation against the Islamist Al-Shabaab group as part of the coordinated Operation Linda Nchi. Haji and Somalia's Minister of Defence Hussein Arab Isse then signed an agreement to collaborate against the insurgent group.
In early June 2012, Haji signed another agreement officially re-hatting Kenya's deployed military forces in Somalia under the AMISOM general command.
Haji's term as Minister of Defence ended on 26 April 2013.
Minister of Internal Security
On 18 June 2012, Haji was appointed Kenya's acting Minister of Internal Security and Provincial Affairs after the incumbent minister George Saitoti died in a helicopter crash a few days earlier. Haji had previously worked closely with Saitoti on the Linda Nchi military operation. Haji held the new position concurrently with the Minister of Defence docket until a permanent Internal Minister was appointed on 21 September 2012.