25/01/2023
A recent public outcry by kalenjin community residing in Narok South & West over unfairness, and being sidelined by the Governor in his major appointments has raised several questions Vis a Vis their fate in PK's government.
As expected, the mess has cast unflattering spotlight on Patrick Ole Ntutu (PK). The revelation makes a sad reading. From lack of regional balance, biasedness, incompetencies, and other monkey business, we can scream there is a smell skunk lurking in paradise.
I want to join a few other patriots to defend PK.
He is innocent. Very. As a gubernatorial candidate, PK was too ‘innocent’ to brazenly interfere with the selection of his Running mate. Also as a governor, he might be too busy to know Who becomes what in his major appointments, and therefore, he just signs the list of names being presented to him by the proxies in his office, duped the kalenjin committee. I believe he is as shocked as the rest of us by the wanton biasedness and lack of regional balance among others complaints in his *major appointments,* under his legendary ‘eagle-eyed’ watch. He is baffled and scratching his head wondering ‘How could it be?’
Does this mean the allegations are wrong, or are people of Narok South & West that foolish to cry loud for no reason? No. If the voters are frustrated with PK's opaque nature of governance, then people are indeed dissatisfied.
Here is the premise.
As a governor who *promised Kalenjins* a certain slots in his government, *PK* is not involved in the selection of the names for various appointments of *any kalenjin* to his government. Not directly anyway. He is merely a distant patron who is occasionally briefed on this or that. He is an outlier; a distant disinterested party in the operations of his proxies, *the purported kalenjin committee,* duped power brokers. In other words, PK’s involvement is inconsequential to the selection of names for appointment and other operations. The complaints and public outcry refers to the *Proxies* hiding in the name of kalenjin committee. The selection of names for appointment to various positions, and other operations pertaining to the kalenjins size of the cake are under the purview of the *Proxies.*
As an administrator, *PK* prescribes to *theory Y;* a totally hand’s free approach. He never peeks over the shoulder of his trusted men and women to check what they are doing. He does not call them to ask if they have considered his key players during campaigns. He trusts everyone to do as they are supposed to.
This was the MO with the purported kalenjin committee. He let them work. His role is marginal; to pop in once in a while before vanishing again. Now that he is innocent, does exonerating him from this rot make me ecstatic?
Far from it. On the contrary, it makes me a worried voter. Allow me.
Working by the premise that PK is innocent, (and he is), it also means the *major decisions were not his.* The mega projects he touted during the campaign time may not be ‘his’. Were we lied to? Whose projects were they? Will he dream them or the proxies will deliver on his behalf?
That is water under the bridge. The current reality is terrifying. As the governor, *PK* was not in charge. His purported kalenjin committee was.
As the Narok governor, who is in charge? Is he? I have a theory.
I think he is not.
He has unwittingly surrendered his ‘gubernatorial authority’. Top in the list of inheritors of PK's authority on matters Kalenjins dominated regions are two very very powerful actors at the corridors of power in his government.
One is a *member of Parliament* who wields immense influence over major decisions made by *Patrick Ole Ntutu.* He is the literary equivalent of Lord of the Ring’s Grima Wormtongue, the prime counselor at the Court of King Theoden of Rohan. The king acts on his whispers. He is so powerful that he is rumored to have once ordered *PK's Second-In-Command* to go out during the scramble of *CECM* dockets.
The second very powerful actor is a newly-crowned blue-eyed prince of PK's government. He holds very a ceremonial position in *the County Assembly.* He is what Faruk was in the late days of Ruto's deputy presidency. You can't not see the Main proxy without singing his chorus.
The duo and other key campaigners are currently engaged in epic open supremacy battle with the governor trapped in the middle!
There are reports of other shadowy entities in *PK’s government* that are pulling strings from behind the curtains. These entities are said to have funded and facilitated his campaigns and now want a slice.
The net result is heartbreaking. Poor *PK* is under so much pressure that he dares not make any bold decision for fear it will antagonize the ‘holy of holies’ in his government.
He must do a delicate balancing act not to fall out of favor with the forces demanding a stake in his serikali. In *PK's opinion,* it is these people who gave him victory. The thousands of *Kalenjin voters* in the villages who voted for him are accidental byproduct of his win!
This perhaps explains why *PK* often talks of collaborative leadership. He declares his servant leadership; a euphemism for saying he must consult his ‘benefactors’ before making any decision.
As bad as it is, this works for him in two ways. First, it allows him to avoid falling foul to his ‘benefactors. Second, it allows him to avoid shouldering all the blame when things go wrong. He will argue it was a collective decision. The blame should be apportioned equally. As witnessed after he picked a running mate, a move that didn't go well with a majority of the *Kalenjin* community, but *blames* were shifted to other people. Similarly, the blames of unfairness on the major appointments goes to other people and not him. *Isn't he smart?*
As this farce goes on, the groupings of *cartels* are having political or***ms. They have realized that they are dealing with a ‘Mteremko’ governor. They have become so emboldened that they have audacity to impose themselves as *the representatives and spokespersons of the kalenjin community.* My question is, who are they? When were they selected, and by who?
Will the governor fight back? No idea but he should. He must grow a strong spine and do what is best for *Kalenjins in Narok county, especially Narok South & West.*
In the bible when Noah built the Ark, God ordered him to only take 2 animals from each species; a male and a female. The rest were destined to die. God had a reason to be very selective. The Ark could not carry everything. Noah only needed the seeds of second rebirth of the world.
When he became the boss, *PK unlike Noah,* flung open the doors of his ark to everything in the name of inclusive governance. The diseased, the cartels, the sick, the corrupt, the weak, the morally depraved, the fools, the idiots-everything trooped in.
They all have a safe haven inside Narok’s ark. Will this ark stay afloat? It must. This Ark is all we have.
*If it sinks, we all (the Kalenjins of Narok South and West) sink.*
