Nathif Jama Adam, EGH, (, ) is a Kenyan banker, writer and politician. Adam has served as the governor of Garissa County since August 2022. He was initially elected to the position in March 2013 to become the pioneer Governor of Garissa County and served until 2017. After failing to win the 2017 elections, he was elected once again in August 2022. Prior to joining politics, he was the Managing Director of First Community Bank. He was also previously a Senior Vice President and the Head of Sharjah Islamic Bank's Investments & International Banking Division. He co-authored the first book on

sukuk Sukuk (; plural of ) is the Arabic name for financial certificates, also commonly referred to as "sharia compliant" bonds. Sukuk are defined by the AAOIFI ( Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions) as "securitie ...

investments.

Career

Banking

Adam is an authority on the global Islamic financial industry. He has over two decades of work experience in the

Islamic banking Islamic banking, Islamic finance ( ''masrifiyya 'islamia''), or Sharia-compliant finance is banking or financing activity that complies with Sharia (Islamic law) and its practical application through the development of Islamic economics. Some ...

, diversified retail, wholesale and investment sectors. He began his banking career with the Kenya Commercial Bank based in

Nairobi Nairobi is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Kenya. The city lies in the south-central part of Kenya, at an elevation of . The name is derived from the Maasai language, Maasai phrase , which translates to 'place of cool waters', a ...

. In 1985, Adam joined the Al Rajhi Banking & Investment Corporation in Saudi Arabia. He subsequently worked as an Executive Manager for the Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), where he oversaw QIB's sizable real estate, leasing, trade and securities foreign investment portfolios. In 2002, Adam joined the National Bank of Sharjah in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. The bank was at the time in the midst of restructuring its services to focus on Islamic banking. Now known as the Sharjah Islamic Bank, Adam served as a Senior Vice President and the Head of its Investments & International Banking Division. Adam later became the founding managing director of the First Community Bank (FCB) in Nairobi. He was also a member of its board of directors. Besides executive duties, Adam is an author, frequently writing on Islamic banking and financial issues. He co-wrote the first book on

investments, ''Islamic Bonds: Your Issuing, Structuring and Investing in Sukuk'', published in 2004. Additionally, Adam has served as a keynote speaker at various finance and Islamic banking conferences and seminars around the world. He also regularly undertakes training courses on different aspects of the industry.

Governorship

In 2013, Adam ran for Governor of Garissa County. He was elected to the position on 10 March on a

Wiper Democratic Movement Wiper may refer to: * Windscreen wiper * Wiper, a Pakistani English term for a squeegee * Wiper (occupation), a cleaner in the engine room of a ship * wiper (malware), a type of malware * Wiper, a term for a hybrid striped bass * Wiper, a ter ...

ticket. In February of the year, Adam also became a member of the

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) was a Political coalition, coalition of multiple political parties, built around the triumvirate of Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, and Moses Wetangula, to contest the 2013 Kenyan general election. The ...

. The High Court later upheld his election victory in September 2013. In April 2014, acting on a petition by two plaintiffs citing voting irregularities, the Court of Appeal issued a directive nullifying the result. The Supreme Court overturned the decision the following month, directed the court registrar to prevent the county's assembly speaker from occupying Adam's seat, and barred the IEBC from declaring the governorship vacant until Adam's appeal was heard and ruled within a two-month period. On 9 July, the Supreme Court officially reinstated Adam as Governor of Garissa County. After failing to win the Garissa gubernatorial seat at the 2017 elections, Adam once again ran for governor in

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

on an

Orange Democratic Movement The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is a centre-left political party in Kenya. It is the successor of a grassroots people's movement that was formed during the 2005 Kenyan constitutional referendum campaign. This movement separated in Augus ...

ticket. He beat incumbent Governor Ali Korane and successfully recaptured the seat.

Personal life

Adam hails from the Aulihan subdivision of the Somali Ogaden

Darod The Darod (, ) is a Somali clan. The forefather of this clan is Sheikh Abdirahman bin Isma'il al-Jabarti, more commonly known as Darod. The clan primarily settles the apex of the Horn of Africa and its peripheries, the Somali hinterlands adjacent ...

clan. Adam has a masters degree in Islamic Banking, Finance and Management from the

University of Gloucestershire The University of Gloucestershire is a public university based in Gloucestershire, England. It is located over five campuses, three in Cheltenham and two in Gloucester. The university is the successor of a large number of merged, name-changed ...

, England in addition to an MBA Certification in trade finance module from

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University () is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and was subsequently granted university status by roya ...

, Scotland. He also holds the prestigious associateship of the UK Chartered Institute of Bankers. He is married to Amina Abdullahi.

Honours

At the Jamhuri Day of 2022, Adam was awarded by President

William Ruto William Kipchirchir Samoei Arap Ruto (born 21 January 1967) is a Kenyan politician who is the fifth and current president of Kenya since 13 September 2022. Prior to becoming president, he served as the first elected Deputy President of Kenya, ...

the Elder of the Order of the Golden Heart (E.G.H.) which is the second highest

honour Honour (Commonwealth English) or honor (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a quality of a person that is of both social teaching and personal ethos, that manifests itself ...

awarded by the Kenyan government.

Professional memberships

*Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Sukuk Development Task Force

Publications

*''Islamic Bonds: Your Issuing, Structuring and Investing in Sukuk'' (2004)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adam, Nathif Jama Living people Ethnic Somali people Kenyan people of Somali descent Alumni of Heriot-Watt University Alumni of the University of Gloucestershire People from Garissa County Year of birth missing (living people) Wiper Democratic Movement – Kenya politicians