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Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua‘s tour in Narok County stirred leadership superiority politics on who should take credit for development projects.

A verbal exchange erupted between Narok Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and area MP Gabriel Tongoyo at Elerai Primary School in Naikarra Ward, in Narok West where the DP went to distribute over 6,000 title deeds.

Tongoyo, while speaking in vernacular, warned the governor over the Mara Management Plan that was passed into law by the county government saying it was forced into the community without their input.

“The Mara Management Plan was a wrong move by the county government since there are some clauses that don’t favour the community who are the owners of the game reserve, and we tried to seek dialogue for this but you turned us down and we will not relent but fight to the bitter end,” Tongoyo said.

The MP, who is the National Assembly chairman on Interior Security Committee, further took credit for the title deeds being issued in his constituency as his own effort in collaboration with the National Government, which did not augur well with Governor Ntutu.

The verbal contest renewed their rivalry over the county gubernatorial seat before the then DP William Ruto brokered a deal for Ntutu to run as the UDA gubernatorial candidate. The deal saw Tongoyo and former Woman Representative Soipan Tuya (currently Cabinet Secretary for Environment) step down in favour of Ntutu.

When he took over the podium, Ntutu told off the MP over the Mara Management Plan saying it was passed and nothing could be done to reverse it.

Ntutu further told off Tongoyo over the issuance of title deeds to residents questioning why the land documents were not issued in the last nine years from the time the process started.

“I was the MP of this constituency before you for one term, I lost and went to civil service as a CAS, why didn’t you effect the issuance then, until now when I am the governor that the residents have received their titles,” said Ntutu.

Title deeds for Narok residents

The governor said the issuance of more titles to residents of Olderkesi (7,000 tiles), Leshuta (3,600 titles), Majimoto (5,000 titles) and Loita adjudication sections is also underway.

However, DP Gachagua steered off the political showdown between the two but asked the Maasai community to abandon Azimio leader Raila Odinga over what he termed as his anti-development plans.

“In the last General Election, you gave us half of your votes. Half of you voted Odinga but now he is embarrassing you by placing sufurias on his head and leading violence. I urge you to abandon him; he is destructive,” he said.

Speaking in Sogoo, Narok South, when he launched the construction of feeder roads funded by the county government, the DP promised that the government will resettle families evicted from Mau Narok forest by the previous administration as it tightens efforts to conserve the water tower.

“The Kenya Kwanza government had set aside funds for the resettlement in the next financial year but we regret the manner in which the families were evicted from Mau forest and promised that they will be resettled once the budget is passed,”