Clan leanings and the performance of a leader would be the determining factor in the heated Kajiado governor race.
Kajiado North MP Joseph Manje in an exclusive interview with the Star said that together with former county chief David Nkedianye, they are putting up a political juggernaut that they believe would send incumbent Joseph Lenku home on August 9.
He is Nkedianye's running mate.
Manje argues that the clan numbers would work against Lenku, who is also said to have not performed to the expectations of the voters.
Manje comes from Kajiado North, where he argues he has massive influence, while Nkedianye comes from Kajiado East, which is largely cosmopolitan.
The North and East command almost 50 per cent of the vote in the county. The team also believes Elijah Memusi’s Kajiado Central is a crucial addition to their basket.
“We have a head start in three constituencies. When you go to Kajiado West, we can share since Nkedianye’s clan has 40 per cent of the vote,” Manje said at Parliament Buildings.
“Lenku and UDA's Katoo (ole Metito) are left with Kajiado South to share. That belt has so many Kikuyus. I went there once and revolutionized everything, the tune has changed,” he added.
Manje believes they are going to defeat Lenku in all the constituencies and wants ODM leader Raila Odinga to stay away from campaigning for the incumbent, who has since shifted to the Orange party.
Who is Joseph Manje?
I started representing Kajiado North constituency in 2013. When Prof George Saitoti died, I declared my interest to run as his replacement. That was the time of the boundaries delimitation.
Kajiado North was split into West, East, and the North. I’d have been the MP for the bigger constituency but because of county dynamics, I stepped down for Moses ole Sakuda as TNA was coming up strongly. He was thus MP for three months after the by election.
Since 2013, I have been winning in all the polling stations based on how I have performed and the way we live with people. I created a day school for every primary school in the constituency. These kids who are finishing Class 8 have to go to a secondary school. Some were missing places.
Those who could not secure fees for boarding schools ended up being wasted. I managed to contain that. Within the first three years of my administration, the transition rate was about 100 per cent. That has saved the area a lot. If you go North today, it’d be hard to find someone who has not gone to school.
As a scholar of MBA in Management, I have chosen sublocation as my unit of managing the constituency. I have created very strong bursary committees at the sublocation. Parents are happy with the bursary programme. I have also helped put up police stations.
My constituency is one where everybody is connected to the main electricity grid. It is hard to find a house with no electricity. We are now doing street lighting. We are lucky the SGR has two stations in the constituency. It is coming up very strongly.
My performance over the past two terms has motivated me to go for the county job. I am now leaving the constituency ,where I have given myself a 95 per cent performance rating to transit to another level.
What is your central message in the Kajiado race?
We are educating people to reject leaders who have not performed. Parties would be key but not as much as clans and performance.
Why do you want to be part of the county government?
I was born in the county. We have realised it is not doing well, especially in Maasailand in the interior. Aren’t the children born there part of my county?
I believe the county would grow in leaps and bounds if we replicate what we have done in Kajiado North. That is the motivating factor.
I have been supported by many people to pursue this cause. If I was to defend my seat, I would not be campaigning. When I declared I was not running, about 20 people have expressed interest in the MP seat.
The President recently made a call to you to stick with Nkedianye. What do you make of the statement?
It is simple. Nkedianye performed during his time. The projects that are visible were executed by him, and I have also done a lot in the North. Since he had done something and I have also done something, when you combine the two – in fact our slogan is "Combined Performance", the county will be in good hands.
Governor Lenku has not worked. I dared him to point out what he has done in my constituency so that I support him, he had none. We are removing him because he has not performed.
But now that he has joined ODM don’t you think the race would be shaped as a contest between Uhuru and the Raila side?
No. That is not the thing.
The idea and the agreement between Uhuru and Raila is that where there was a Jubilee MP, the area will continue to be a Jubilee area. Where there was an ODM candidate, we expect the party to also field their candidates.
Kajiado was a Jubilee zone and that is the reason Nkedianye moved from ODM to Jubilee. But given that Nkedianye and I are very strong on the ground, Lenku feared. That is why he went to Junet Mohamed to get the ODM ticket. I don’t think Raila is involved, so there is no competition between him and Uhuru.
What would you advise Raila in the ensuing scenario?
My advice to Raila is that he should not come to Kajiado to campaign for anybody. He will mess himself up because Lenku and Nkedianye supporters will vote for him. So, coming to take sides with any of them would only be costly to him. He will lose support. Let him stay away and let the team win.
Ida Odinga the other day endorsed Lenku? What is your reaction?
They are being lied to by Lenku. Even Raila was once brought to Kajiado and the current county administration did not want him to pass by Kitengela as they knew the strength of the competitor would be known.
Also, the presidential candidate can be conned by the sitting governors. That is what we have seen in Kajiado. I was ready to support Nkedianye in ODM. He tried so much to get an appointment to get to see Raila but he couldn’t. He was taken in circles by the handlers.
Nkedianye was a member of ODM, what changed?
Nkedianye was good in ODM but the agreement was that this is a Jubilee zone. Nkedianye came to solve the problem. Lenku is running away because he doesn’t want the competition. The key point is that we don’t want these other tribes to be divided further.
What is your assessment of Raila’s chances in the face of the county battles?
This election is for Raila to lose. He has the goodwill of Kenyans. But now, if he is mismanaged by his handlers, it would be unfortunate.
For instance in Kajiado, the people supporting Lenku and our side have pledged to vote for him. So when he gets involved, he is reducing his chances. Where they have more than one candidate and all are looking for votes for him, he should rest and focus on other areas. If he sees areas where strong candidates are backing him, let him go to other areas where Azimio is facing competition. If he campaigns for one, the other one will rebel.
How do you assess Kenya Kwanza’s chances in Kajiado?
It is better when we are three – Jubilee, Kenya Kwanza and ODM. At our place, clan leaning is key. Let Lenku stay with his clan. Most likely, if he is not there, they are likely to vote for UDA. The clan dynamics will be a factor in this election.
In Maasailand, you will find UDA ward reps supporting Nkedianye, so it is not a matter of parties.
