Muna Khalif (Muna Kay)

Who is she?

Muna Khalif Yusef, widely known as Muna Kay, is a Somali entrepreneur, fashion designer and legislator (Wikipedia, Muna Khalif). She founded the clothing brand Um Lemar and sits in the House of the People of Somalia's Federal Parliament for South West State (same source).

Early life

She was born in Somalia. When the civil war began, her family moved to the United Kingdom (Wikipedia, citing Iftiimin). The UN mission in Somalia gives her clan as Tunni (UNSOM, "Four more MPs elected to the Lower House in Baidoa", 26 November 2016). She studied nutrition and later took courses in fashion design (Wikipedia).

Um Lemar

She is founder and chief executive of Um Lemar, a clothing line for young Muslim women who want fashionable but modest dress. She later started Baby Lemar, a range for babies named after her son (The Somalia Investor magazine, issue 4, 2015). By 2016 the brand sold in North America, East Africa and Dubai and made clothes in China (same source). She also heads the Um Lemar Foundation, which trains and mentors women and girls in crafts (same source).

Election to parliament

In November 2016 she stood for a House of the People seat for South West State in Baidoa and won with 41 votes (UNSOM, 26 November 2016). See Somali parliamentary election, 2016.

An electoral oversight body then called for a re-run, saying she and seven other MPs had not reached the vote threshold, and the Supreme Court upheld it. The House of the People overruled that decision and confirmed the eight members (Garsoor Online, "Judiciary set for supremacy war as House 'annuls' Court ruling over election of 8 MPs"). Her name appears among the House members in the parliament's 2017 member list (Members of the 10th Federal Parliament).

In short

A London-raised fashion founder who became a South West State MP in 2016, after a dispute between the House and the courts over her seat.