Kenta boosted as top civil servants endorse governor bid

Narok North MP Moitalel ole Kenta’s bid to be Narok governor has received a boost after top civil servants and leaders endorsed him.

Kenta over the weekend got the backing of Youth Affairs PS Charles Sunkuli, Commission on Revenue  Allocation  commissioner Kishanto ole Suuji, former Foreign Affairs PS Peter Nkuraiyia and Kilgoris MP Gideon Konchellah.

All said they will start campaigning for the senator to succeed Governor Samuel Tunai.

Kenta will run on the ODM ticket.

The leaders declared their support for him during a house warming ceremony in Naikarra in Narok West constituency.

Sunkuli and Suuji said they sacrificed their ambitions for the county's top seat for the sake of unity and to ensure Kenta easily won the August 9 general election.

“I was in this race but through a consensus deal that was brokered by ODM leader Raila Odinga, I opted out of the race and offered my full support to Kenta,” Sunkuli said.

He dismissed comments made by Governor Tunai last week that Kenta is playing tribal politics, saying  Tunai himself is the one who should be blamed for divisive politics.

The PS deplored that the  majority of Narok residents were dogged by poverty and financial distress because they had suffered poor leadership despite enormous resources in the area.

“We need to change the leadership of this county. We need strong and visionary leaders who listen to people and who will work towards improving the  lives of all the people,” he said.

Sunkuli added that by working closely with Kenta and like-minded leaders, they will ensure that all the people in the county are united despite their tribes, races or clans.

Konchellah said Kenta will win the next elections by a landslide because he enjoys support across all the regions.

“Kenta is the best-placed to bring tangible change. He is the only hope for a better future for the people of Narok and all the communities are supporting him for the gubernatorial seat,” Kochellah said.

He told the IEBC to start probing politicians who are preaching hate messages, saying that such moves should not be tolerated in the current society.

Kenta said they will not accept a move by Tunai to run for the Senate saying he failed to initiate meaningful development during his 10-year tenure.

The MP oppose sentiments by some in government that he is responsible for dividing people, saying  he has always been uniting all people even when he was MP for a cosmopolitan constituency.

“If there is a person who needs to be probed on hate speech it i is Tunai because he has always incited this community against the other one,” Kenta said.

On Friday while inspecting  Ilkiragarien Health Centre in Narok East, Tunai condemned Kenta for allegedly perpetuating divisive and tribal politics.

“As the leaders, we will resist such leadership that aims at dividing people along tribal lines but instead ensure that those people who are voted in are able to exercise their leadership across all the communities  in Narok,” Tunai said.

The county boss also said that Kenta does not deserve the seat because he has failed in the leadership test. He said Kenta proved his only agenda is to "settle scores with others communities" and that is not acceptable in today’s society. 

(Edited by V. Graham)