Ruto is wooing the region through major infrastructure development while Gachagua is...
The battle for the Maa vote is intensifying ahead of the 2027 General Election, with President William Ruto and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua among political leaders seeking to win over the pastoralist community.
Maasai dominate Kajiado, Narok and Samburu counties and have a significant presence in parts of Laikipia County.
The community dominates Laikipia North Constituency and also has a considerable presence in Laikipia West and Laikipia East.
For years, Maa politics was largely shaped by veteran politician William Ole Ntimama, who died on September 1, 2016.
Following the death of the former Cabinet minister, the region remained largely aligned with former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, whose death in October last year left a vacuum that various political players are now seeking to fill.
The void has attracted leaders from across the political divide who want to have a say in the region just like the late Mr Ntimama and Mr Odinga.
No leader from the community has fit into the shoes of both Mr Odinga and Mr Ntimama, and attempts by Narok Senator Ledama Ole Kina to establish himself as the region kingpin are slowly dying away.
The Ntutu family, where current Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and Narok South MP Kitilai Ole Ntutu come from, has also seen their influence in the Maa region continue to wane
The scramble by various political camps is significant given the region's voting strength. Data from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission indicates that Kajiado, Narok and Samburu counties could together have more than 1.4 million registered voters by the 2027 election.
President Ruto and Mr Gachagua have intensified their political activities in the region as they seek to influence the direction of Maa politics.
Other political players in the opposition and Linda Mwananchi, however, have not been aggressively concentrating in the Maa nation.
President Ruto was in Narok County on Tuesday, where he urged residents to judge his administration by its development record.
“Kenyans want an agenda that delivers development and progress, not empty talk. Narok is a rich agricultural county and there is no reason why you should not have good roads,” the President told residents of Narok South.
“I will end the politics of marginalisation. That is what the Constitution requires of me,” he added.
The President launched the construction of the 59km Enengetia-Olkurto-Olposimoru road in Narok North, which will connect Eneng'etia, Olokurto, Enkuseru, Olposimoru and Kiptenden.
He also cited the completed 30km Noswani-Naikarra-Morijo road, the ongoing construction of the Ololung'a-Ewaso Ng'iro road and the Ololung'a-Sogoo-Saptet-Mulot road, which he said is 60 per cent complete.
In Narok East, the President pointed to the construction of the 40km Suswa-Inkorionito-Naiekia-Enkare road. He also launched the construction of the 20km Ololung'a-Ewaso Ng'iro road in Narok South.
The President further said Sh2.8 billion would be used to connect an additional 15,000 households to electricity in the county. He said 14,000 households had been connected to power over the past three years.
In Narok West, he launched the construction of the Sh62 million Olpusimoru Power Station, which is expected to connect 300 homes to electricity.
President Ruto also reminded farmers that the price of fertiliser would fall from Sh2,500 to Sh2,000 for a 50kg bag from September 2026, while the cost of certified maize seed had been reduced by 50 per cent.
Mr Gachagua, who is being supported by Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku and Kajiado South MP Samuel Parashina, has not relented in wooing the Maa in Narok and Kajiado.
On August 21, Mr Gachagua was in Narok, where he toured Emurua Dikirr constituency and visited the grave of late MP Johana Ng’eno, also visiting the mother of the late politician.
According to Kajiado Central MP Memusi Kanchory, leaders supporting the broad-based government are backing President Ruto's re-election in 2027 and will ensure he bags votes from the community.
“Here we are two terms and are working on a Broad based government but there are some leaders who are hell-bent on dividing us because they are not happy with the cooperation between us,” Mr Kanchory told Nation, referring to Governor Joseph Ole Lenku’s recent outburst in the ODM party.
Mr Kanchory, the county's most senior elected politician, entered Parliament in 2014 after winning the Kajiado Central parliamentary by-election following the appointment of the late Joseph Nkaissery as Interior Cabinet Secretary in the Jubilee administration.
Governor Lenku, however, has fallen out with ODM and has threatened to seek a different political vehicle in his bid for the Kajiado Senate seat in 2027.
Mr Lenku, who has served as governor since 2017, is backing his deputy, Martin Moshosho, to succeed him. The governor has accused the ODM leadership of working with some UDA leaders to undermine him politically in the county.
“ODM we found it weak and because we respected the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, we made it strong in Kajiado. The same way UDA MCAs went to DCP, we will also leave for Linda Mwananchi,” said Mr Lenku over the weekend.
“ODM will close shop in Kajiado county. We are the people who brought ODM here, and made it respected. We are, however, ready to leave it if the party continues to betray us,” he added.
Mr Kanchory has, however, challenged Mr Lenku to join the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) if he is unhappy with ODM's cooperation with other leaders.
According to ODM Leader of Youth Affairs John Ketorah, Mr Lenku is blaming the party for his political problems and unpopularity, which he attributes to poor development.
“We have agreed in broad-based that Katoo Ole Metito will vie for Governor then Judy Pareno goes for the Senate seat and that is locking him out of his senate bid. We are concentrating on putting Maa votes in one basket yet he is bitter and lamenting all over,” said Mr Ketorah, who is eyeing the Kajiado East parliamentary seat.
Mr Ketorah said the ODM-UDA alliance could also agree on joint candidates for parliamentary seats across the Maa region to avoid internal divisions and consolidate support for President Ruto.
“As ODM we don’t have a strong backing in Narok so we are likely to leave some seats for UDA but we are likely to have a candidate in Kilgoris, Narok North and Narok South. We want to have joint candidates to increase our presence and that of UDA Maa nation,” added, acknowledging that since former Narok North MP Moitalel Ole Kenta moved to Jubilee, the Orange party has no visible leader in Narok County.
The ODM youth leaders say the political gap in the leadership of the Maa nation will take time to fill since there are no leaders who defend the community as the late Mr Ntimama did, especially on the issue of land ownership.
“Ole Kina had started the journey but we have since seen he is just playing the politics of survival. He may win in 2027 again but how has he defended the community to the level of rising and becoming a kingpin?” he posed.
Mr Gachagua, meanwhile, is seeking to tilt the Maa vote in his favour with the backing of Kajiado Senator Seki Lenku and Kajiado North MP Onesmus Ngogoyo. In the last month, DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has visited Kajiado County three times. The former Deputy President has presented himself as a defender of Maa interests following Mr Odinga's death.
"Raila Odinga has been defending you since time immemorial. God rested him. I want you to make me your defender. I will defend and champion your interests without fear, especially on the land question," said Mr Gachagua in a tour of the county in February this year.
President Ruto ally and Kajiado West MP George Sunkuyia told Nation that UDA will not inherit the ODM base under the broad-based arrangement but will also expand its political reach ahead of the General Election.
"The tribal card cannot sway UDA in Kajiado.Our score card will earn the party more elective posts in the 2027 polls. We will ensure President Ruto garner more votes in Kajiado than any other presidential candidate has ever gotten in previous polls, “Said Mr Sunguiya.
"When we (United Opposition) form government next year after the polls, we will ensure the community senior positions including Interior Cabinet Secretary position and we will address historical injustices, “Promised Mr Gachagua when he met youths in Kajiado Central in July.
Mr Ngogoyo said the political tides on the ballot will be about a change of administration that has lost touch with the people who propelled it to power.
"DCP speaks to the language of the people being oppressed by Kenya Kwanza administration. Kajiado will be among the counties that will turn tides against President Ruto administration, “Said Mr Ngogoyo.
Mr Gachagua is buoyed by DCP's victory in the Narok Township Ward by-election in November last year, where Douglas Makonde won with 6,007 votes against UDA's Robert Kanyika Ole Kudate, who garnered 4,479 votes.
No elected MP from the county has publicly declared support for Mr Gachagua, although East African Legislative Assembly MP David Sankok is among leaders who have shown sympathy for his political cause, particularly on social media.
In Laikipia North, the Maa community has traditionally won the parliamentary seat. Mr Gachagua has said he will campaign against area MP Sarah Lekorere, who was elected on a UDA ticket, accusing her of making remarks against the Mount Kenya community.
“This MP who has abused our people here knows how we will deal with her. Even if William Ruto has told her to abuse our community, she shouldn’t do that in church,” said Mr Gachagua.
The former Deputy President is also expected to face an uphill task in Samburu County, where none of the three elected MPs, the governor or the senator has publicly declared allegiance to him.
In the 2022 presidential election, Mr Odinga won a larger share of the Maa vote than President Ruto in the three counties.
In Kajiado, Mr Odinga garnered 158,526 votes against Dr Ruto's 148,439. In Narok, he received 102,279 votes compared with Dr Ruto's 92,894.
Mr Odinga also won in Samburu, where he garnered 41,737 votes against Dr Ruto's 28,319, underlining why the Maa vote is increasingly emerging as a major battleground ahead of 2027.
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