Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta has denied claims by some section of leaders that the Maasai community has joined the Jubilee Party.
Kenta
said the destiny of the community will be decided by the people and not a few individuals whose intentions are to pursue their own selfish interests.
He
made the remarks when he opened a Sh4.5million dormitory built by CDF at Eor
Engitok Primary School.
The
MP was with school chairman Joseph Karia and head teacher Hellen Kamaamia.
“As
the Maasai community, we will go to a party that will protect the rights of the
community.
Those moving around saying we are in Jubilee Party are
daydreaming because we will sit as the community decide on the party that suits
us,” Kenta said.
The MP said they have no problem with the Jubilee government but that does not mean they are ready to cross over.
The
legislator said the community has nothing to celebrate about this government
even after supporting it in the last polls "and they are now using every means
to force us into Jubilee".
“We
have been sidelined despite our huge support for the Jubilee government. And
if they continue with their discrimination, we will soon meet as a community to
discuss our problems and chart a new political direction,” the MP said.
Kenta
hit out at some leaders who claimed to have led the community to the Jubilee Party, saying they do not represent the interest of the Maasais.
“It
is sad that these leaders have been in leadership for long and they did nothing
during their tenure,” the lawmaker said.
Meanwhile, Karia asked the Maasai community to assist the local
administration in the fight against
FGM
and
early marriages.
“This is a practice that affects girls’ schooling and limits their capacity to
reach their potential. Girls enrollment in the lower primary in the region is
often high, but as they progress many drop out after undergoing
FGM,” he said. Karia said it has been noted that the practice
leads to early marriages.
He called on
FGM
crusaders and government
institutions to help affected communities to combat the vice through forums and legislation. The chairman called on the national government
to allocate more resources to fight the vice.
Kamaamia, one of the FGM crusaders in Narok
county echoed Karia's sentiments, saying the fight against Female Genital Mutilation and early
marriages will succeed if men are brought on board.
“There
is need for a change of tack in the fight against these two retrogressive
cultural practices. More gains would have been realised had menfolk been
involved because their willingness to marry circumcised girls is an endorsement
of the vices,” Ms Kamaamia.
