• Ole Lenku was elected in 2017 after defeating then-incumbent David Nkedienye.
• Ole Metito campaigned for Lenku in the 2017 election. He said he will be launching his quest for the county's top seat on November 7.
Kajiado South MP Katoo ole Metito has formally announced he will be running for governor in 2022 to replace Joseph ole Lenku.
Ole Lenku was elected in 2017 after defeating then-incumbent David Nkedienye.
Ole Metito campaigned for Lenku in the 2017 election. He said he will be launching his quest for the county's top seat on November 7.
Both are former ministers for Internal Security. Lenku took over the docket from Ole Metito in 2013 after he was appointed by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Having been elected MP, Metito was barred from holding a ministerial job. He currently chairs the National Assembly's Committee on Defence and Foreign Relations.
He believes he has the support of his constituency, something he says will put him ahead of his opponents.
“Kajiado South is my backyard. At the end of this Parliament, I will have served the constituency for 20 years. I chose to launch my governorship bid at home to get an okay from the people I served in the National Assembly for two decades,” Ole Metito said.
His announcement of his intention to unseat Lenku has caused a lot of anxiety in the expansive region.
Kajiado politics is dominated by two major clans of the Odomong’i and the Orokiteng’. Lenku comes from the Orokiteng', while Metito belongs to the Odomong'i clan.
Metito’s right-hand man Joshua Kilitia set the tone for a bruising battle with an attack on Lenku in Isinet last week. He was presiding over a fundraiser for a university student.
“It is better to assist an emaciated cow to stand on its knees than help a human being,” Kilitia said.
He was referring to the help Metito gave Lenku during the 2017 poll campaigns.
In a trending video clip from the event, Kilitia is heard talking about newiki (a leso that is only worn for one week before it is discarded). He claimed Metito made Lenku who he is.
The two allies are alleged to have fallen out after Lenku supposedly supported county planner Ken Parashina's bid to unseat Metito as Kajiado South MP in 2022.
Metito did not deny or confirm the claims but he admitted that he had a list of politicians who will be supported by his party in the next general election.
Both Metito and Lenku were elected on the Jubilee Party ticket
“We have our people. I have a person for the Kajiado South seat, in particular, that cannot be Parashina. We are also going to sponsor MCAs and all other candidates allied to us for all the elective positions in Kajiado,” Metito said.
The MP, who did not attack Lenku throughout the interview with the Star on Sunday, said the quest for a change of leadership was unstoppable.
Already, former National Transport and Safety Authority boss Francis Meja, former Governor Nkedianye, Kajiado East MP Peris Tobiko and former Olkejuado county council chairman Tarayia ole Kores have all declared they will seek the post.
They are all from the Odomong’i Maasai clan. It is also important to note that all the Maasai elected MPs in Kajiado are from the same clan.
Other than Metito, all the other aspirants support the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Tobiko, Meja, Nkedianye, and Kores say they will agree on one of them to face Lenku and other opponents in the 2022 contest.
