- His close ally says Lenku has dropped intention to vie for senator at the end of his second term but will be leader of a party he is forming.
- Lenku has kept the name of the party under wraps, and those privy to the scheme say the governor will be its patron.
Image: KURGAT MARINDANY.
Kajiado Governor Joseph Lenku is forming a Maa-based political party to be affiliated to UDA ahead of the 2027 general election.
The second-term governor from Orokiteng clan of the Maasai is said to have dropped his earlier aspirations of becoming the next senator.
Instead, Lenku is spending more time designing his political party that is expected to be a hot cake ahead of the next general election in Kajiado, Narok and Laikipia counties.
Lenku has kept the name of the party under wraps, and those privy to the scheme say the governor will be its patron.
“Governor Lenku will be our party leader and he has indicated to us that he will not be vying for any political seat in the coming general election. He will be our adviser and party leader,” a close ally, who requested not to be named, said.
The governor has already managed to control all the UDA ward reps including speaker Justus Ngossor, who after the last general election gave Lenku nightmares by denying him the financial resources to manage the effects of drought.
When Lenku realised he was headed to a collision course with the MCAs led by Ngossor, he invented a working formula with a section of ward reps within the assembly.
Among those he picked was Imaroro MCA Daniel Kukan, who is the county assembly deputy speaker and his clan-mate.
Before that courtship, Kukan was a fierce political rival of Lenku. He won the seat against Lenku’s candidate, Amos Peshut.
After Lenku started cohabiting with Kukan, he moved to Ngossor. The county speaker now cannot miss out on all the governor’s functions inside and outside the county.
Then came the county senator, Kanar Seki, who after the last general election went out to all the subcounties of Kajiado telling the voters he would hold the governor to account in the provision of services.
Lenku never bothered about the senator’s criticism.
But it did not take long before the senator was seen in all the functions the governor attended in Kajiado and even in Maasai Mara in Narok. Seki is in UDA.
After winning over Seki, the chess master of Kajiado politics moved on to his political rival in the last election, Peris Tobiko.
Tobiko was pushed aside by former Kajiado South MP and current State House Comptroller Katoo ole Metito after winning the UDA nomination to vie for the Kajiado governor seat.
Tobiko is now seen at Lenku’s meetings around the county.
When Governor Lenku met all the Kajiado MCAs at Serena Hotel, Nairobi, on Monday, this week, a photo emerged that day showing him with UDA legislators Onesmus Ngogoyo (Kajiado North), senators Seki and Tobiko, his deputy Martin Moshisho, Kajiado East MP Kakuta Maimai (ODM) and Kajiado South MP Sakimba Parashina (ODM).
It later emerged the Serena meeting was to counter the homecoming ceremony for former Governor David Nkedianye in Kitengela.
Nkedianye had invited his friends, who included the State House Comptroller but he did not turn up. Kajiado Central MP Elijah Memusi was in attendance.
Memusi used the occasion to attack his party leader Raila Odinga for cracking the whip on ODM legislators working closely with President William Ruto.
The MP also used the occasion to attack Governor Lenku’s administration.
The meeting in Serena reportedly discussed how Nkedianye and Metito would locked out of the race for political seats in 2027.
Nkedianye and Metito are from one clan (Odomong’i) and the Lenku’s camp of the Orokiteng clan is now set to dominate the leadership in Kajiado.
Inside sources say Lenku's side has lined up Seki to run again for the Senate in 2027, while Tobiko will be fronted by Lenku to UDA leadership for a ministerial position.
Maimai, Ngogoyo and Parashina will be retained by Lenku as MPs for their current positions while his deputy, Moshisho, who is from the Odomong’i clan, will be sponsored by Lenku’s Maa party for the governor position.
Lenku is said to be grooming Imaroro MCA Kukan as Moshisho’s running mate in the gubernatorial race.
Among all the elected leaders in Kajiado, only Woman Rep Leah Sankaire is left with Metito.